Tubex: Tree shelters augur success for tree-planting initiatives
As major tree planting projects continue to be announced across the UK, tree and plant protection specialist Tubex is urging organisations to ensure they budget for tree shelters to protect their investment.
Tree planting is rightly seen as an effective means of tackling climate change and the England Trees Action Plan – announced by the UK Government in 2021 – is encouraging widespread planting nationwide. Several other major initiatives have been announced in 2022.
Research has shown that tree shelters increase plant survival by at least 25 per cent,1 offering protection from animals and promoting faster growth and establishment. Data collected from Tubex’ customers suggest that tree shelters saved approximately 12.5 million saplings in the UK in 2020 – the equivalent of 14,600 football pitches.
Given the proliferation of high-profile tree planting schemes, the use of shelters, where appropriate, can be of great benefit to maximise growth and survival rates. Yet, as many tree shelters are plastic, some schemes are reluctant to use them, fearing it will compromise the sustainability credentials of a project.
According to Tubex, the truth is more nuanced.
James Taylor, Marketing and Product Development Director at Tubex, said: “By definition, a tree shelter is a sustainable solution because it protects saplings and increases their chances of long-term growth. What’s more, while it may sound counter-intuitive, plastic can be part of an environmental solution, and Tubex is working at pace to offer a range of sustainable tree shelter solutions.”
As Tubex is now demonstrating with its Collection and Recycling Programme, plastic tree shelters can be easily recycled. Tubex’s Collection and Recycling Scheme collected more than 150,000 used shelters during 2021, representing 21,000 kilograms of plastics which will be recycled into new tree shelters.
Where a biodegradable tree shelter is preferred, Tubex now offers this option under its new Tubex Nature range. With extensive testing on its components and the finished tube to certify its biodegradability, Tubex Nature will, over time, start to degrade and breakdown into water and CO2 through a microbiological process.
- Chau, C., Paulillo, A., Lu, N., Miodownik, M. and Lettieri, P., 2021. The environmental performance of protecting seedlings with plastic tree shelters for afforestation in temperate oceanic regions: A UK case study. Science of The Total Environment, 791, p.148239.