Wandering through Newton Wood on this beautiful morning, I felt the long-awaited arrival of spring. Sunlight gently filtered through the canopy, illuminating the lush greenery of wild garlic blanketing the woodland floor. Ascending further, I passed through an azure sea of bluebells, heralding the season alongside the blooming rowan and holly.
On Roseberry Common, this flourishing plantation, once mere saplings, now robust with life, the presence of old plastic tree guards, known as Tuley Tubes, strikes a discordant note. While once beneficial, many lie fractured and ensnared around the now sturdy trunks, while others languish unseen beneath the undergrowth of last year’s bracken, destined to degrade into microplastics over time. Regrettably, no attempts are being made to rectify this plastic blight, which will eventually seriously impede the trees’ growth.
Such scenes are regrettably commonplace throughout our countryside. Merely this week, I have seen plastic pollution adversely affecting trees in various guises: vast swathes of plastic encircling a hazel in a nature reserve, a dogwood tree ensnared by roadside debris, and a hawthorn hedge concealed beneath a veil of plastic tubes — a dense hedge base being pivotal for efficacy.
While tree shelters serve to safeguard young saplings from marauding rabbits and other wildlife, these ostensibly reusable or recyclable guards often degrade into agents of harm, polluting the environment with microplastics. In response, many conservation bodies are exploring eco-friendly alternatives made of wool or cardboard. Alas, the spectre of heightened expense looms over such endeavours.
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