JP7775142B2 - Animal damage prevention device and animal damage prevention structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an animal damage prevention device and structure that combine the functions of preventing damage to plants caused by wild animals such as deer, wild boars, and bears, and of preventing the intrusion of wild animals.

On slopes and sloping areas, greening work is carried out to stabilize the slopes and improve the scenery.
A well-known type of revegetation work is spraying, in which a revegetation base material consisting of a mixture of soil, compost, and plant seeds is sprayed in layers onto slopes and other areas, and native plants such as grass, clover, and mugwort are planted on it.
When constructing the greening substrate, a mesh such as a diamond-shaped wire netting is laid inside or on the top surface of the greening substrate to stabilize the slope.

It has been pointed out that wild animals such as Japanese serows and sika deer have invaded these vegetated areas, causing problems by eating all the plants and trampling on the vegetated areas.
If damage from feeding is left unchecked, it will become difficult to restore the natural landscape, and trampling by wild animals can cause soil erosion and lead to slope collapses.

As a means for preventing damage caused by wild animals, for example, covering the entire vegetated area with a netting is known (Patent Documents 1 to 3).
Patent Document 1 discloses covering a slope with an arch formed by combining hard reinforcing material and soft wire mesh, Patent Document 2 discloses laying a grid-shaped frame on a slope and stretching wire mesh on the top surface of this frame, thereby laying the wire mesh at a distance from the slope, and Patent Document 3 discloses using multiple net materials formed by bending strip nets into an arch shape and fixing the opposing sides of each net material with fixing pins to cover the slope.

Another widely known method for preventing the intrusion of wild animals is to surround a protected area with an intrusion-proof fence.
Patent Document 4 discloses an intrusion prevention fence in which a net is stretched between posts and a plurality of bare electric wires are additionally installed in part of the fence body.

JP 2010-213606 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-73192 Patent No. 5503067 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-206305

Conventional techniques for preventing feeding damage have the following problems to be solved.
<1> Although covering vegetated areas with various types of netting can be expected to have a certain degree of effect in preventing damage from being eaten, it is not possible to reliably prevent the intrusion of wild animals.
To improve the effectiveness of preventing feeding damage, it is necessary to install a separate fence around the vegetated area to prevent intrusion.
As a result, construction strikes become more expensive as the facilities become larger.
<2> Conventional netting is placed above the ground, but the netting has a structure that allows for bending and elastic deformation.
Therefore, when wild animals stand on the netting, the netting sinks, eating away at the plants down to the roots, preventing the netting from providing sufficient corrosion protection.

Conventional intrusion prevention fences have the following inherent problems:
<1> Intrusion prevention fences are made up of many posts and large areas of mesh, so not only does installing an intrusion prevention fence take a lot of time and effort, but the construction costs are also very high.
<2> Since intrusion prevention fences are designed to prevent wild animals from entering solely by the height of the fence, if the fence is not high enough or if wild animals with high jumping ability, such as deer, can jump over the fence and enter.
Therefore, the effectiveness of preventing the intrusion of wild animals is limited.
<3> When installed in mountainous areas, the intrusion prevention fence is easily destroyed by falling snow blocks, and repairing the fence after the snow melts requires a lot of effort and cost.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide an animal damage prevention device and an animal damage prevention structure that can solve the above problems.
<1> A simple structure that can prevent wild animals from entering vegetated areas and prevent damage caused by wild animals.
<2> It is possible to significantly reduce material costs and installation costs.
<3> It must not lose its functionality due to snow blocks sliding down.

The present invention provides an animal damage prevention device that is placed on a vegetated area to protect plants within the vegetated area while preventing the intrusion of wild animals into the vegetated area, and comprises a planar vegetation base structure that carries at least plant seeds, and lattice-like slat panels that are stacked and laid on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure, the slat panels having a plurality of vertical ribs arranged in parallel at intervals and a plurality of horizontal ribs arranged intersecting the vertical ribs, and a lattice structure having a plurality of openings that penetrate vertically at the intersections of the vertical ribs and the horizontal ribs, and the slat panels form continuous protective grooves along the longitudinal direction of the vertical ribs between adjacent vertical ribs, and the protective grooves are connected to the plurality of openings.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal ribs are provided offset below the vertical ribs.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the vertical rib has a flat upper end surface and a corrugated lower end surface.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the slat panel is integrally molded from synthetic resin.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the planar vegetation base structure is either a vegetation mat or a vegetation sheet.
The present invention is an animal damage prevention structure that is placed on a vegetation area to prevent wild animals from entering the vegetation area while protecting the plants within the vegetation area, and uses any one of the animal damage prevention devices described above to lay a planar vegetation base structure over the entire vegetation area, and one or more slat panels are stacked and laid on the top surface of the vegetation base structure, and the vegetation base structure and slat panels are fixed with fixing pins.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the slatted panel is laid on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure with the protective grooves facing upward.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of slat panels are laid on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure so that the vertical ribs of adjacent slat panels are oriented in different directions.

The present invention has at least one of the following advantages.
<1> The animal damage prevention device can independently prevent wild animals from invading vegetation areas and from feeding on them.
This eliminates the need to install additional conventional fences to prevent wild animals from entering.
<2> A simple structure that simply involves stacking and laying slatted panels on the top surface of a vegetation base structure such as a vegetation mat or vegetation sheet can effectively prevent the intrusion of wild animals.
<3> In the vegetated area where the animal damage prevention device is installed, not only can wild animals be prevented from entering, but the growth of plants can also be reliably protected over the entire height of the slatted panels.
Therefore, compared to conventional techniques for preventing feeding damage, the area protected from feeding damage is wider, and feeding damage can be prevented over almost the entire vegetation area.
<4> The greening mat and slatted panels that make up the animal damage prevention device work together to provide protective functions and protect the ground, effectively preventing wild animals from trampling on the ground.
<5> The slatted panels of the animal damage prevention device have a function of guiding snow blocks and preventing them from crawling under the slatted panels, so there is no need to worry about deformation or damage to the animal damage prevention device when the snow melts, and no special repairs or maintenance are required after the snow melts.
<6> Even if multiple slat panels are laid on the top surface of the vegetation base structure so that the vertical ribs of adjacent slat panels are oriented in different directions, it is possible to prevent wild animals from moving freely.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an animal damage prevention device according to a first embodiment. Vertical cross section of animal damage prevention device 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. Plan view of slatted panel An explanatory diagram of how to install the animal damage prevention device. (A) is an explanatory diagram of the vegetation mat laying work, and (B) is an explanatory diagram of the slat panel laying work. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an animal damage prevention device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway vertical plan view of a slat panel constituting an animal damage prevention device according to a third embodiment.

[Example 1]
<1> Animal Damage Prevention Device Referring to FIG. 1, an animal damage prevention device 10 according to the present invention is a device for protecting plants within a vegetated area (protected area) while preventing wild animals from invading the vegetated area.
The animal damage prevention device 10 comprises a planar vegetation base structure laid across a vegetation area, and a bendable slat panel 20 laid in layers on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure.
In this example, a form in which the planar vegetation base structure is a vegetation mat 30 will be described.

<2> Slat Panel The slat panel 20 is a lattice structure having a plurality of vertical ribs 21 arranged side by side at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of horizontal ribs 22 arranged crosswise to the vertical ribs 21 and arranged side by side at a predetermined interval.
The intersection of these two ribs 21 and 22 is fixed to form an opening 23 that passes through from top to bottom between the two ribs 21 and 22 .
The slat panel 20 can be manufactured easily and at low cost by being integrally molded from synthetic resin.

There are no particular restrictions on the overall shape of the slat panel 20.
In this example, the slat panel 20 is described as being strip-shaped, but the planar shape of the slat panel 20 may be rectangular or square.

<2.1> Vertical Ribs The plate-shaped vertical ribs 21 are used in a vertical direction with both end faces facing up and down, and multiple vertical ribs 21 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the slat panel 20.
The vertical ribs 21 are used in a vertical direction in order to ensure the height at which plants can grow and to reduce the landing area of wild animals' feet, making it difficult for them to walk on them.

The total height h of the vertical rib 21 is appropriately selected depending on the type of plant 40 to be grown.
The overall height h of the vertical rib 21 is preferably set to, for example, about 5 to 30 mm.

The thickness t of the vertical rib 21 is set to a dimension that ensures strength enough to prevent the vertical rib 21 from being easily crushed when a wild animal climbs onto the slat panel 20.
The thickness t of the vertical rib 21 is preferably about 0.5 to 7 mm, for example.

It is desirable to form the upper end surfaces 21a of the vertical ribs 21 as smooth surfaces to make it easier for wild animals' legs to slide along.

The vertical ribs 21 may be plates with a uniform width in the height direction, but it is preferable that the vertical ribs 21 have an uneven width in the height direction to impart flexibility to the slat panel 20.
In this example, the vertical ribs 21 are configured to have uneven plate widths in the height direction, and the lower end surfaces 21b of the vertical ribs 21 are formed as corrugated surfaces.
By making the vertical ribs 21 flexible, it is possible not only to wind up the slat panel 20 in a roll, but also to make the slat panel 20 follow the undulations of the laying surface when laid.

<2.2> Horizontal Ribs The horizontal ribs 22 are spacers that function to maintain a constant distance between adjacent vertical ribs 21.
The horizontal ribs 22 are provided biased toward the lower side of the vertical ribs 21 so that the horizontal ribs 22 do not protrude toward the upper surface side of the slat panel 20.
The reason why the horizontal ribs 22 are provided below the vertical ribs 21 is to form protective grooves 24 on the upper surface side of the slat panel 20.
The protective grooves 24 are formed on the upper surface side of the slat panel 20 in order to prevent wild animals from getting caught on the horizontal ribs 22 when they walk on the upper surface side of the slat panel 20.

<2.3> Openings By providing the horizontal ribs 22 so as to intersect with the lower surface 21b of the vertical ribs 21, the lower surface 21b of the slat panel 20 has a lattice structure, and a plurality of openings 23 are formed between the two ribs 21, 22.
The opening 23 functions as a vegetation space for the plants 40 .
The size of the opening 23 is determined by the spacing l ₁ between the vertical ribs 21 and the spacing l ₂ between the horizontal ribs 22 .
The dimensions of the opening 23 are preferably, for example, about 5 to 60 mm on either the vertical or horizontal side.

<2.4> Protective Groove As described above, the horizontal ribs 22 are provided biased toward the lower side of the vertical ribs 21, and continuous protective grooves 24 are formed on the upper surface sides of the vertical ribs 21.
That is, a protective groove 24 is formed between adjacent longitudinal ribs 21 in parallel to the longitudinal ribs 21 .
The plurality of protective grooves 24 communicate with the openings 23 and function as vegetation spaces for the plants 40 .
The groove width of the protective groove 24, which is the interval _l1 between the vertical ribs 21, is set to a dimension that prevents the feet (or hooves) and snout of wild animals from getting inside. Wild animals include young animals.
It is determined by the spacing l1 between the ribs 21 and the spacing l2 between the horizontal ribs 22.
The width of the protective groove 24 is preferably 5 to 60 mm.
If the width of the protective groove 24 is less than 5 mm, the anaerobic effect on wild animals is reduced, and if it exceeds 60 mm, the plants 40 in the protective groove 24 become more likely to be eaten.

<3> Vegetation Mat In this example, a form in which the vegetation base structure is a vegetation mat 30 will be described.
The vegetation mat 30 is a flexible mat-like material having a predetermined thickness.
The vegetation mat 30 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a mat substrate 31 having upper and lower surfaces, a plurality of vegetation bags 32 arranged in a row at intervals on the upper surface of the mat substrate 31, and a greening substrate 33 placed in the plurality of vegetation bags 32.
The vegetation mat 30 is not limited to the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and any known vegetation mat capable of supporting vegetation can be used.

<3.1> Material The mat substrate 31 is a long strip that can be wound into a roll.
The mat substrate 31 and the vegetation bag 32 are made of known chemical fibers such as polyethylene or natural fibers such as jute fiber, coconut fiber, straw, etc.
The mat substrate 31 and the vegetation bag 32 may be made of the same material or different materials.
It is desirable to use biodegradable materials for the mat substrate 31 and the vegetation bag 32.

<3.2> Vegetation Bag The vegetation bag 32 is an independent, elongated, cylindrical bag, and is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mat substrate 31 (transverse direction).
The spacing between the vegetation bags 32 along the longitudinal direction of the mat substrate 31 can be selected as appropriate.

<3.3> Greening substrate The greening substrate 32 contains at least soil, plant seeds, and fertilizer, and optionally further contains a water-retaining material, soil improvement material, etc. The greening substrate 32 only needs to contain at least plant seeds.
The plant seeds may be herbaceous or woody. Seeds of plants that emit an odor repulsive to wild animals or prickly plants may also be mixed in.
The mixture is placed in a vegetation bag 32 and sealed in advance.

<4> Relationship between slat panel and vegetation mat In this example, we will explain a form in which the slat panel 20 and the vegetation mat 30 are used separately, but the slat panel 20 and the vegetation mat 30 may also be integrated in advance using connecting materials such as rings or strings.

[How to install animal damage prevention devices]
A method for installing the animal damage prevention device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

<1> Target for installation of animal damage prevention device In this example, the ground G of the vegetation target is described as a slope with a gradient, but the ground G of the vegetation target may also be flat ground.

<2> Laying vegetation mats (Figure 5(A))
A vegetation mat 30 is laid over the vegetation area.
At this time, the vegetation bag 32 of the vegetation mat 30 is placed so as to face in a direction perpendicular to the inclination direction of the slope.

<3> Laying the slatted panels (Figure 5(B))
The slat panel 20 is placed on the top surface of the vegetation mat 30 and laid down.
At this time, the vertical ribs 31 constituting the slat panel 20 are laid along the inclination direction of the ground G.
When a plurality of slat panels 20 are arranged side by side, they are laid so that the vertical ribs 21 of each slat panel 20 are parallel to each other.
Fixing pins 25 are driven from the upper surface side of the slat panel 20 to fix the slat panel 20 and the vegetation mat 30 to the ground G.

In this way, the animal damage prevention device 10 can be installed with the simple task of simply laying and securing the vegetation mat 30 and slat panels 20 over the vegetation area.

[Multiple functions of the animal damage prevention device]
The operation of the animal damage prevention device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

<1> Prevents wild animals from invading (anti-animal effect)
A plurality of narrow vertical ribs 21 are arranged in parallel on the surface of the slatted panel 20 laid over the entire surface of the vegetation area.
Therefore, when a wild animal tries to stand on the slat panel 20 located above the animal damage prevention device 10, the narrow vertical ribs 21 dig into the bottom of the legs, causing an uncomfortable feeling.
In the case where the wild animal is an ungulate, if the longitudinal rib 21 is caught between the main hoof and the accessory hoof of the hoof, it causes discomfort to the sole of the foot, making it difficult for the wild animal to enter the vegetated area.

In particular, when the animal damage prevention device 10 is installed on a slope, if the vertical ribs 21 of the upper slat panel 20 are arranged along the slope, the legs of wild animals will slip on the vertical ribs 21, preventing the wild animals from moving around freely.
This makes it difficult for wild animals to traverse the slopes.

Wild animals will repeatedly enter the slatted panel 20, but each time they will feel uncomfortable, and due to the learning effect of this discomfort, the wild animals will no longer enter the vegetated area.

As explained above, the system has a simple structure in which the vegetation mat 30 and the slatted panel 20 are simply stacked and installed on the ground G, but the top surface of the slatted panel 20 actively causes discomfort to the soles of wild animals' feet and allows wild animals' legs to slide, effectively preventing wild animals from entering vegetated areas.

Furthermore, even if wild animals enter part of the vegetated area, the greening mat 30 and slatted panel 20 that make up the animal damage prevention device 10 work together to provide a protective function and protect the ground G, effectively preventing wild animals from trampling on the ground G.

<2> Prevention of feeding damage (anti-corrosion effect)
Plants 40 germinate from the vegetation mat 30 that constitutes the animal damage prevention device 10.
The germinated plants 40 break through the vegetation bag 32 and continue growing.
The plants 40 extend through the openings 23 in the slatted panels 20 into the protective grooves 24 .
The vertical ribs 21 of the slatted panel 20 function as protective members for the plants 40, so that wild animals cannot eat the plants 40 in the protective grooves 24.
The animal damage prevention device 10 of the present invention exhibits an anti-corrosion effect while preventing the intrusion of wild animals.

The overgrown plants 40 protrude above the upper surface of the slat panel 20 and become a target for grazing by wild animals, but this only accounts for a portion of the vegetated area.
The animal damage prevention device 10 of the present invention has both anti-corrosion and anti-wild animal intrusion functions, so that only the peripheral areas of the vegetation area are subject to grazing by wild animals, and plants 40 can grow in most of the vegetation area until the animal damage prevention device 10 is hidden.
Furthermore, even if the plants 40 that have grown beyond the height of the slat panel 20 are eaten by wild animals, the plants 40 are not eaten from the roots, and only the height of the slat panel 20 remains.
Therefore, compared to conventional techniques for preventing feeding damage, the area protected from feeding damage is wider, and feeding damage can be prevented over almost the entire vegetation area.
Furthermore, since the plants 40 can continue to grow even if part of them is eaten by wild animals, the vegetated state can be maintained for a long period of time even on the periphery of the vegetated area.

<3> Influence of snow accumulation When the animal damage prevention device 10 is installed in a mountainous region, the animal damage prevention device 10 is buried in snow accumulation in winter.
Since the animal damage prevention device 10 is simply laid at a low position along the ground G, a large snow load (or snow pressure) toward the slope valley side is not applied to the animal damage prevention device 10.
Therefore, the animal damage prevention device 10 has durability that allows it to remain laid on the ground G, so there is no need to worry about the animal damage prevention device 10 being crushed by the load of snow.

When the snow melts, the snow slides down the slopes.
In conventional corrosion prevention technology, in which mesh is placed so that it is suspended above the slope, snow blocks penetrate underneath the mesh, peeling it off and destroying it.

In contrast, in the animal damage prevention device 10 of the present invention, a large number of vertical ribs 21 arranged in parallel on the slat panel 20 laid on the top surface of the vegetation mat 30 prevent the snow blocks from sinking in while guiding the snow blocks toward the valley side.
Therefore, there is no risk of the slat panel 20 being peeled off from the ground G and deformed or damaged due to the snow blocks sliding down.
The animal damage prevention device 10 does not require any special repair or maintenance after the snow melts.

<4> Drainage function (erosion prevention function)
Referring to Figure 3, when rain falls on the animal damage prevention device 10, which has the upper surface of the vegetation mat 30 covered with a slat panel 20, the rainwater passes through the slat panel 20 through the opening 23, while some of the rainwater that does not pass through flows down along the upper end surface 21a and side surface 21c of the vertical rib 21.
Therefore, even if the material of the vegetation mat 30 is damaged due to ultraviolet degradation or the like, erosion of the greening substrate 33 and the ground G can be effectively suppressed, so that the animal damage prevention effect can be maintained for a long period of time without losing the supporting ground of the animal damage prevention device 10.

[Example 2]
Other embodiments will be described below, and in the description, the same parts as those in the above-described embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<1> Vegetation Sheet In the first embodiment, the vegetation base structure is the vegetation mat 30, but it is also possible to apply a vegetation sheet 35 to the vegetation base structure.
That is, in this example, the animal damage prevention device 10 is made up of the slat panel 20 and the vegetation sheet 35 .

Referring to FIG. 6, the vegetation sheet 35 is made up of a plurality of sheets of nonwoven fabric, soil improvement sheets, etc., and it is sufficient that at least plant seeds are carried on some of the sheets.
The vegetation sheet 35 contains various vegetation materials such as fertilizer as needed in addition to plant seeds.

As shown in Figure 6, the slat panel 20 and the vegetation sheet 35 may be integrated in advance using a connecting material 36 such as a ring or string, or the vegetation sheet 35 may be laid first, and then the slat panel 20 may be laid on top of the vegetation sheet 35.

<2> Method of Use and Functions of the Animal Damage Prevention Device The method of use and functions of the animal damage prevention device 10 in this example are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.
The vegetation mat 30 or the vegetation sheet 35 can be used depending on the vegetation environment, vegetation area, etc.

[Example 3]
<1> Arrangement of Slat Panels Referring to FIG. 7, a description will be given of an arrangement in which the vertical ribs 21 of adjacent slat panels 20 are laid out with their orientations changed so that they are perpendicular to each other or cross each other.

In this example, as in the previously described embodiments, the slatted panel 20 is laid on top of a natural foundation structure (vegetation mat 30 or vegetation sheet 35) not shown.

Although FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which the planar shape of the slat panel 20 constituting the animal damage prevention device 10 is square, the planar shape of the slat panel 20 may be rectangular.
In this example, the vegetated area may be flat land or may be a sloping area.

<2> Effects of the Present Example The effects of the animal damage prevention device 10 in the present example are the same as those in the first and second examples described above.
In this example, when a wild animal tries to walk freely on the upper surfaces of the plurality of slatted panels 20, the direction of the vertical ribs 21 changes many times, causing discomfort to the soles of the legs and making it difficult for the wild animal to walk freely.
In particular, if a wild animal tries to move in the longitudinal direction of the vertical ribs 21, its legs will be more likely to slip, making it even more difficult for the wild animal to walk freely.
Therefore, in this example as well, it becomes difficult for wild animals to invade the vegetated area.

10... Animal damage prevention device 20... Slat panel 21... Vertical rib 21a... Upper end surface 21b of vertical rib... Lower end surface 21c of vertical rib... Side surface of vertical rib 22... Horizontal rib 23... Opening 24... Protective groove 30... Greening mat 31... Mat base material 32... Vegetation bag 33... Greening base material 40... Plants

Claims (8)

An animal damage prevention device that is placed on a vegetated area to prevent wild animals from entering the vegetated area and protect plants in the vegetated area,
a planar vegetation base structure carrying at least plant seeds;
and a lattice-shaped slat panel laid on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure.
The slatted panel is a lattice structure having a plurality of vertical ribs arranged in parallel at intervals and a plurality of horizontal ribs arranged intersecting the vertical ribs, and having a plurality of openings penetrating vertically at the intersections of the vertical ribs and the horizontal ribs;
The slat panel forms a continuous protective groove between adjacent vertical ribs along the longitudinal direction of the vertical ribs,
The protective groove and the plurality of openings are in communication with each other.
Animal damage prevention device. The animal damage prevention device described in claim 1, characterized in that the horizontal ribs are biased toward the lower side of the vertical ribs. The animal damage prevention device described in claim 1, wherein the vertical ribs have flat upper end surfaces and wavy lower end surfaces. The animal damage prevention device described in claim 1, characterized in that the slat panel is integrally molded from synthetic resin. The animal damage prevention device described in claim 1, characterized in that the planar vegetation base structure is either a vegetation mat or a vegetation sheet. An animal damage prevention structure that is placed on a vegetated area to prevent wild animals from entering the vegetated area and protect plants within the vegetated area,
Using the animal damage prevention device according to claim 1,
A planar vegetation base structure is laid over the entire vegetation area;
One or more slat panels are stacked and laid on the upper surface of the vegetation base structure,
The vegetation base structure and the slat panel are fixed with fixing pins.
Animal damage prevention structure. The animal damage prevention structure described in claim 6, characterized in that the protective grooves of the slatted panels are laid on the top surface of the vegetation base structure with their protective grooves facing upward. The animal damage prevention structure described in claim 6, characterized in that multiple slat panels are laid on the top surface of the vegetation base structure so that the vertical ribs of adjacent slat panels are oriented in different directions.