Tree Planting

(asked on 26th April 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support scientists to bring forward alternatives to plastic tree guards.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 29th April 2021

Over the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan, we want to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste and our Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how we will achieve this and move towards a circular economy. The Government continues to monitor the development of viable alternatives to the use of plastic tree guards and is committed to encourage recycling and the more thoughtful use of resources.

Options for protecting young trees include biodegradable tree guards, temporary fencing and wildlife management, but currently these options are less effective than plastic tree guards in deterring browsers, particularly deer.

The forestry sector is carrying out work to develop and trial more effective biodegradable tree guards and other alternatives - the forthcoming England Trees Action Plan will look at how to support this and eliminate unnecessary plastic waste.

In the meantime, current practice demands that tree guards should be retrieved after they have reached a point where they are redundant. Plans to collect and recycle the tree guards have been introduced by a number of forestry institutions.

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