Plastic tree guards/tubes etc

[Stere]

Really annoys me when people don't come back too remove them after a few yrs & they litter the place looking untidy, & also sometimes the trees grows into them & they damage the trunk etc.

 

Could they not make them out of  biodegrable material?

 

Had a google & couldn't find any biodegradable ones for sale. Some are marketed as eco ones  say that the plastic had less UV stabalizer in them so they break into bits faster, which sounds worse than the normal ones,  if you want to be tidy & remove them.

[Jon Heuch]

34 minutes ago, Stere said:

Really annoys me when people don't come back too remove them after a few yrs & they litter the place looking untidy, & also sometimes the trees grows into them & they damage the trunk etc.

 

Could they not make them out of  biodegrable material?

 

Had a google & couldn't find any biodegradable ones for sale. Some are marketed as eco ones  say that the plastic had less UV stabalizer in them so they break into bits faster, which sounds worse than the normal ones,  if you want to be tidy & remove them.

I agree 100%....with the world waking up (after Blue Planet II it appears) that plastic pollution is a problem (not just in the seas) perhaps we need to wake up to the fact that planting trees is not always 100% environmentally friendly. What about the stakes and ties that remain for ever, showing that no-one has ever anticipated the need for removal.

 

A year or two ago I sat down with a supplier of these tubes and asked what the procedure is for disposal.....he didn't even have an answer suggesting he hadn't even thought of it. More recently we removed the tubes from an old planting scheme of ours. It is amazing how bulky they are and the fact that you need some form of commercial vehicle to take them off site.

[Kevm]

Yes, annoys me also, around here they plant the trees get the grants then just abandon the place so the cheap thin stakes they plant them with snap, tree gets blown over and dies then the tube falls off and the dogwalkers dogs carry them about for a while, chew them  and drop them.

 

[Macpherson]

Yeah, the wooded park local to me is littered with them, six or seven years ago in response to the clearing of many mature squirrel damaged trees, a group of people who call themselves  'friends of D------m park' planted a few thousand saplings just before a severe frost...... a complete waste of time and money as more than 90% died and all the tubes and stakes remain littering the place..... of course the wood's regenerating on it's own as you would expect... it's a pity they hadn't put their efforts into dealing with the knotweed / H balsam invasion.

[Daniël Bos]

There are several biodegradable options available.
Some made from plastics made from corn and potato starch, others from fortified cardboard like stuff.
They're not quite good enough yet though. The potato ones i trialed were saggy and soggy and on the floor after one year. The corn ones were a nightmare to put on and fell apart in less than two.

Gave feedback to the manufacturers who both ensured me that better things are on their way

[Bob Morris]

Planted and abandoned:

[aspenarb]

2 hours ago, Stere said:

Really annoys me when people don't come back too remove them after a few yrs & they litter the place looking untidy, & also sometimes the trees grows into them & they damage the trunk etc.

 

Could they not make them out of  biodegrable material?

 

Had a google & couldn't find any biodegradable ones for sale. Some are marketed as eco ones  say that the plastic had less UV stabalizer in them so they break into bits faster, which sounds worse than the normal ones,  if you want to be tidy & remove them.

 

They can be recycled http://www.agri-cycle.uk.com/what-we-recycle/tree-guard-recycling/.

 

We have replaced a few over the years and always tidy up.

 

 

Even when mulching regen in plantations I always pick up the tubes/stakes off failed trees, cant help it

 

 

 

 

 

[tony_t3d]

This is one of my gripes. Although we maintain one particular site we always ensure they are removed once required.

Whilst we are on this topic let me vent my annoyance regarding the raught iron tree guards that are never removed. We have just had a full row of trees cut down simply because they grew too large and began to get restricted by it.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Took a load of tired old guards from young trees at a school on Friday...  As always, planted and neglected.  

 

On the plus side, the kids that were there were really interested in what I was doing so I took a few minutes to talk them through it.  It went down really well and the teacher was quite thrilled that I'd spent the time (hook 'em in early!)  I was there to prep for the planting of an Oak on Saturday to mark the retirement of a long standing teacher.  

 

Bit of an aside, what with tree planting not exactly being a spectator sport of much merit, I found this poem (and adapted it) (a) so I could read it out and add a bit of "interest" to the proceedings and (b) since I thought it quite well reflected the relationship a teacher has in nurturing the development and growth of our most precious little ones....  Might be of interest if anyone else is planting in schools?

 

The Teacher’s Acorn – adapted from the original by Joseph Enright

An acorn on an oak tree grew, 
The wind around it gently blew, 
The teacher whispered to him softly
'Some day you will be free
To grow and be a mighty tree'
'Who'? 'Me'? A mighty oak'? 
The little acorn thought this a joke.

Cruel autumn wind whistled round 
And knocked the acorn to the ground.
The teacher, passing by 
The small acorn she did spy 
She picked it up, but on occasion it did fall
Once, down a nearby rabbit hole.

All winter long it lay inside
Soon it withered and turned dry 

In the springtime a shoot of green 
From the acorn could be seen.
It grew and grew, as years rolled by 
Soon it reached up to the sky.
So it was a tale come true 
A mighty oak 
From the Teacher’s acorn grew...........

 

[Jon Heuch]

On ‎12‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 17:32, tony_t3d said:

This is one of my gripes. Although we maintain one particular site we always ensure they are removed once required.

Whilst we are on this topic let me vent my annoyance regarding the raught iron tree guards that are never removed. We have just had a full row of trees cut down simply because they grew too large and began to get restricted by it.

Any pictures you can share?