Pine martens were registered extinct in Northumberland at the beginning of the 20th century, but have returned to the county in the new millennium
A Pine Marten kit(Image: National Trust)
A Northumberland National Trust property is set to be the home of a new “haven” for one of Britain’s rarest mammals. Pine Martens were declared extinct in Northumberland at the beginning of the 20th century, but have seen their numbers increase in recent years in Kielder Forest.
Pine Martens are cat-sized mustelids, a family of carnivorous mammals which also includes badgers, otters, ferrets, weasels and stoats. A small number of sightings were reported to national wildlife charity the Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) in the early 2000s, and more than 60 records of pine martens were verified in Northumberland when the trust’s Back from the Brink project concluded in 2021.
VWT has since set up a partnership with the National Trust, with 13 den boxes installed at Wallington. The estate’s haven site also includes a new wildlife viewing hide and pine marten information boards along a nature trail.
Dan Iceton, ranger at Wallington, said: “We’re also improving woodland connectivity through extensive tree and hedgerow planting, which will not only help pine martens move into the estate but also to travel more freely through the landscape. This project is part of our nature restoration programme, Wilder Wallington, which aims to boost biodiversity across the estate, supported by dedicated volunteers, working alongside our tenants and partners.”
The “haven” opens to the public at 12.30pm on Saturday, July 19, it is one of three in the Martens on the Move project, with the others in Dumfries and Galloway, and Monmouthshire in Wales. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has provided funding for the “nationally significant” project.
Dr Stephanie Johnstone, Martens on the Move project manager, said: “We are excited to be working with National Trust to promote and support the recovery of pine martens in the north of England. VWT first started working to monitor and support pine marten recovery in Northumberland in 2017 and since then, the passion of local communities and organisations from across the north of England for this slowly recovering native carnivore has been an inspiration.”
The pine marten haven follows wildlife news from Wallington that two beaver kits were born earlier this week, which marks a second successful year of breeding since the toothy rodents were reintroduced to the estate in 2023. Wallington was identified as a “nature super site” earlier in the year by the National Trust, and received a share of £5m funding to “turn the tide” for nature.
The identification of Wallington as a nature super site is part of the Trust’s “ambitious” plans for the next decade part of to restore nature, end inequality of access to green spaces and heritage sites, and inspire more people to take action to support its cause in celebration of its 130th anniversary. National Trust bosses said they still intended to deliver on those promises last week, despite announcing plans to cut 550 jobs across the UK.
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