Treeshelters improve survival and increase early growth rates

Abstract

Forestry in the lowlands of southern Britain is confronted by several problems when trees are planted. Competition from weeds can be vigorous, deer browsing damage is often severe, and the region's small-scale forestry often means that fencing and cultivation operations are prohibitively expensive. The recent introduction of a simple device has greatly improved tree-planting prospects in these areas. The treeshelter is a transparent or translucent plastic tube placed around seedlings or transplants at planting time. The effects can be dramatic: early height growth of oak is often increased by a factor of 7 or 8, and survival is usually greatly improved. -from Author