This section provides information on pine martens for foresters and farmers who may encounter this species during the course of their work.
Advice is provided on how foresters can minimise the disturbance to pine martens during woodland management, along with steps that can be taken to enhance forests for the species.
Pine martens may visit farms in search of den sites in outbuildings, for food stored in sheds, and also to predate on any rodents on the farm. Practical advice is given here on how to prevent pine martens gaining access to buildings, how to deal with a marten that has gained access, and how to deter it from seeking food in the vicinity of dwellings.
Important note
As pine martens are protected by law, if setting traps for species such as grey squirrels or rats, precautions should be taken to reduce the likelihood of pine martens entering traps. If using spring loaded traps, these must be installed inside a tunnel with excluder bars fitted across the entrance to exclude larger non-target animals, such as the pine marten. A pine marten can squeeze through a 45mm gap, so the space between the bars should be smaller than this. Live capture traps should be checked at least once every 12 hours and more frequently (every four hours) if set between March to June, as this is the time when female martens may have dependent young (kits) and any extended periods of time spent away from their kits could be detrimental to their survival.
