Wentwood Forest has experienced its best year on record for pine marten sightings, with 15 confirmed records received by Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) during 2026. The total is the highest recorded at the site since the Trust began surveying pine martens in Britain more than 40 years ago.

Prior to 2026, pine martens were recorded only twice previously at Wentwood Forest – two records in 2021, followed by two further records in 2022. With 15 confirmed records already this year, 2026 represents a significant increase in sightings of this rare and elusive mammal at Wentwood.

The records come a year after the launch of the Martens on the Move Pine Marten Haven at Wentwood Forest in partnership with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales. The project has been made possible thanks to a grant of over £1 million from National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It also marks 20 years since Coed Cadw acquired parts of Wentwood Forest and began a long-term programme to restore this nationally important woodland landscape.

The records, gathered through monitoring by VWT and Coed Cadw local volunteers, provide encouraging evidence that pine martens are using the woodland and highlight the benefits of long-term habitat restoration projects, partnership working and the contribution of volunteers to conservation.

Over the summer, volunteers working with VWT helped install three den boxes and trail cameras across the woodland. Within weeks, a pine marten was recorded investigating one of the newly installed den boxes. Additional trail camera footage captured visits to monitoring feeder boxes, contributing to a total of 15 confirmed pine marten records this year.

Lucy Nord, Project Officer for Martens on the Move at the Vincent Wildlife Trust, said: "Pine martens are notoriously difficult to see. The hope is that soon there will be evidence of pine martens settling in the forest and establishing a breeding population.”