Plants not Plastic

The establishment of planted saplings typically requires protection from browsing and rubbing by farmed and wild animals and the protection of individual trees is often accompanied with wider animal exclusion zones for multiple years further increasing costs and restricting land use. Current tree guards are predominantly made of plastic which are costly and time-consuming to put in place. They are also of limited value since they do not guarantee protection beyond the part of the nursling tree directly within the guard, nor do they offer any further benefits beyond this function. They may even damage the tree from rubbing in windy weather. Furthermore, though they are meant to be removed, they are often left in place and thus become a source of environmental pollution.

The ‘Plants not Plastic’ research project will investigate whether two different nursery shrubs, gorse and hawthorn, planted at different densities, can offer sufficient protection for the successful establishment of six species of target trees in a new wood pasture. At the same time, the trial will determine whether the nursery shrubs can offer animals a way to interact with plants (particularly browsing) and thus restore natural interactions.

Establishment rates, costs and labour will be measured for both shrubs and six species of native and common target trees. Wild animal-plant interactions will be monitored to identify predation levels during the establishment phase to help determine whether browsing can be successfully redirected to shrub species. This three-year ‘survival phase’ will be followed by an evaluation of the impact on stock exclusion times and any added value that supports good animal welfare. Long-term effects of the presence of nursery shrubs on plant populations and management will also be considered.

Project Leaders and Partners

• ORC (project leader)
• The Woodland Trust. ORC is working in close partnership with the Woodland Trust. The trial is being carried out on a Woodland Trust site in Devon and the Trust has also kindly provided the trees and planting costs.
• ParkLife South West. The trees were planted by ParkLife SW, a not-for-profit social enterprise, experienced in tree-planting project management.

Project Aims

The project’s survival phase aims to understand:

1. Whether plastic guards can be replaced with nursery shrubs in the establishment of trees in a wood pasture.
2. Whether there are any differences between nursery shrub species and planting density on tree survival and establishment
3. Whether the natural interactions between animals and plants can be maintained but confined to the nursery shrub to aid tree survival and establishment
4. Whether the use of nursery shrubs has any influence on stock exclusion times.

ORC’s role

ORC will collect quarterly data on animal-plant interactions, and plant-plant interactions to determine the value of nursery shrubs as a method of establishing trees without the use of tree guards.

Previous Relevant Work

AGroFORestry that Will Advance Rural Development (AGFORWARD)

Agroforestry Innovation Networks