Friday 9 July 2021

Woodland Trust to remove plastic tree guards by end of 2021

Woodland Trust has pledged to get rid of all plastic tree guards from its sites by the end of the year.

The move from the UK's largest woodland conservation charity aims to make tree planting more sustainable by using plastic-free tree shelters.

The guards are used to offer protection to young trees, with plastic options being chosen due to their longevity and ability to protect the saplings from predators.

However, this type of shelter is not environmentally friendly as it can not biodegrade - the charity will now use cardboard and wool guards, which will be totally biodegradable.

The charity hopes to plant ten million trees every year to 2025.

Chief Executive of Woodland Trust Darren Moorcroft said: "As one of the nation’s largest tree planters, by committing to go plastic-free in terms of the use of tree shelters we are set to be the trailblazers in this field and catalysing a permanent change to the tree planting world."