My new tree nursery beds

I live up in Vermont and have a little one acre parcel that I am slowly clearing and turning into something viable for me and my two daughters . I currently have some mature black walnut trees so red squirrels are a problem,  after doing a lot of research and ordering some seed and trees from Akiva silver at twisted tree Farm it seem like one of the biggest problems is the critters so I built these beds. I put  on a layer of cardboard and Woodchips underneath them put hardware cloth on the bottom and will also be putting a chicken wire framework across the top until they get well-established what do you guys think ?

I think it's a great idea. I need something similar to put my cuttings in to grow or for a year or two.

Hi Dennis, first off I'm thinking "nice flying Elvis"!!!  (fellow New Englander here)

Are you planting nut trees?  If so I think that the seeds have to be large enough not to fit through the chicken wire or else the squirrels will just pull them through.  Once I planted 200 black walnut trees and in the spring there were 194 holes dug in the nursery bed just the same diameter as the walnuts....they have smellavision!  I did get 6 trees though!

I appreciate the feedback, I'm hoping the 26" height will be of some deterrent to squirrels and the chicken wire for the top will have 1" openings. Black walnut, hybrid chestnut and hazelnut are the main types of trees im trying to protect. Ive got a few other varieties such as apple, pear and plum that I started from seed gotten from fruit grown at the orchard I work at to put in the beds as well.