Rides are often thought of as simple access routes, cut through woodlands for extraction or ease of movement. Yet anyone with experience in professional deer management knows they are far more than that. A well-planned ride network sits at the heart of responsible woodland management, shaping not only how deer are managed safely but also how biodiversity is restored and maintained. With support now available through Countryside Stewardship ride supplements — CWS10 for 2-zone rides and CWS11 for 3-zone rides — the case for taking rides seriously has never been stronger.
Across the country, foresters, landowners, and agents are facing the same challenge: how to balance deer management with wider woodland resilience. In the South East, fallow herds have stripped regeneration and suppressed ground flora. In the Highlands, red deer continue to push the limits of natural regeneration. And in lowland mixed woodlands, roe and muntjac create subtle but widespread browsing pressure. In all of these settings, rides have a role to play in providing structure, safety, and habitat diversity.
Rides and Safe Deer Management
For those managing deer day to day, safety is always the first consideration. Every shot must have a clear backstop, every firing position must be secure, and every outing has to take account of footpaths, roads, and neighbouring activity. Overgrown rides or poorly designed access lines create unsafe situations where deer are visible but cannot be ethically culled. In contrast, open, scalloped rides with structured margins provide the safe shooting arcs essential for professional management.
On one site in West Sussex, bordered by a public footpath and fast-flowing road, fallow management would have been impossible without a ride system that provided safe lines of sight. The rides not only channelled deer movement but also created spaces where shots could be taken with absolute confidence in what lay beyond. That principle applies nationally: whether controlling red deer in open conifer blocks in Scotland, roe in Welsh valleys, or muntjac in the Midlands, safe management depends on knowing your ground and using rides to create controlled opportunities.
Ecological Benefits of Ride Management
Rides also act as biodiversity corridors. By opening the canopy and allowing light into the woodland floor, they create conditions where grasses, herbs, and shrubs can flourish. This in turn supports pollinators, invertebrates, birds, and small mammals. The UK Forestry Standard recognises these transition zones — edges between open ground and closed canopy — as some of the richest habitats within managed woodland.
The distinction between 2-zone rides (CWS10) and 3-zone rides (CWS11) lies in their structure. A 2-zone ride includes a narrow grassy sward next to a taller vegetated margin, while a 3-zone ride extends this into a shrub or sapling layer, creating a graded edge into the high canopy. This variety is not cosmetic, it delivers habitat niches, supports natural regeneration, and provides cover that encourages deer to use rides more predictably. For deer managers, this predictability translates into safer, more efficient culling, reducing the risks associated with opportunistic shots in dense cover.
Further Reading on Rides: https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2000/04/fcbu123.pdf
Practical Considerations for Landowners and Agents
Rides require more than a single cut to remain effective. They should be managed on rotation, ensuring that different sections are cut in different years. This maintains a mosaic of growth stages, ensuring that nectar sources, cover, and feeding areas are always available. Straight, narrow rides tend to deter deer and reduce ecological value, whereas scalloped edges and varied widths encourage both use by wildlife and growth of diverse plant species.
Agents and landowners should also consider how rides align with extraction and operational needs. A well-positioned ride can double as an extraction route for timber or culled deer, reducing ground damage and ensuring that management is efficient. This requires collaboration between foresters, agents, and deer managers. Too often, rides are planned purely for operational convenience, with little thought given to their role in deer control or biodiversity. Countryside Stewardship grants now offer an opportunity to design rides with multiple benefits in mind.
National Relevance, Local Examples
While Sussex has become emblematic of the challenges of fallow management, the lessons of ride management are relevant nationwide. In the uplands of Scotland, rides through conifer blocks create open corridors where red deer can be more effectively managed. In lowland mixed woodlands, rides provide one of the few remaining habitats where ground flora can survive browsing pressure. In peri-urban estates, they create safe lines where deer managers can operate despite the presence of public access.
The key is collaboration. Deer do not respect boundaries. Fallow herds move across thousands of hectares in the South East, while red deer cross estate lines in the Highlands. Without ride systems that are part of a wider, collaborative management plan, control efforts will always fall short. Countryside Stewardship supplements — CWS10 and CWS11 — provide the financial incentive to make this collaboration viable. By embedding ride management into woodland management plans, estates can align biodiversity objectives with safe, effective deer control.
Looking Ahead
As public access to woodlands increases, as climate change alters vegetation growth, and as scrutiny of management practices grows, ride management will only become more important. Overgrown rides reduce visibility and suppress biodiversity. Poorly maintained rides create risks for both deer managers and the public. Yet when rides are properly managed, they act as the backbone of resilient woodland systems.
Technology is beginning to play a role. GIS mapping, drone surveys, and digital record-keeping make it easier to plan, monitor, and report on ride networks. But technology does not replace fieldcraft. The fundamentals remain the same: walking the ground, knowing the site, and building management plans that integrate safety, ecology, and practical deer control.
Rides are not just tracks. They are critical infrastructure in modern woodland management. They provide safe arcs for deer control, corridors for biodiversity, and opportunities for regeneration. By integrating ride management into woodland management plans, supported by Countryside Stewardship grants CWS10 (2-zone rides) and CWS11 (3-zone rides), landowners and agents can ensure their woodlands are safer, more resilient, and more biodiverse.
At Wildscape Deer Management, we see the impact daily. Where rides are managed responsibly, deer control is safer, biodiversity is richer, and woodlands are better prepared for the future. Now is the time to look again at rides, not as afterthoughts, but as the foundation of sustainable management.
