A NEW tree shelter described as 100-per-cent plastic-free, sustainable, biodegradable and cost-effective has been unveiled.

The aptly named Tree Hugger is made from an organic loom state natural cotton substrate coated with a natural pine rosin harvested from sustainably managed forests.

The product is the brainchild of BMP Europe, a family-owned multinational manufacturing business based in Lancashire, specialising in the manufacture and conversion of technical textiles, and numerous component parts and assemblies for many well-known brands.

Forestry Journal:

Sales and marketing director Mark Booth said: “The idea for Tree Hugger was born after exploring emerging markets for sustainability. When we saw the figures for tree planting and how much plastic was potentially going to be used to protect the trees, we thought it was counterintuitive to use plastic. All the benefits of planting the trees could be outweighed by the manufacturing, transportation, and the disposing of the plastic tubes to protect them.

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“The more we learned, the more emotionally invested we became in an alternative. We felt we could use our expertise in both textiles and bio-coating materials to discover a better solution – one that is environmentally sound and makes long-term sense.
“We created a tree shelter using natural materials, using processes that make it a strong alternative to plastic, that would last long enough for the sapling to establish, be cost effective while also withstand browsing animals, all kinds of weather and keep the carbon footprint low.”

BMP Tree Huggers has already carried out extensive testing, both in the lab and in field tests. The lab testing used methods and ISO guidance for plastics and created equivalent tests, as there are not as yet equivalent standards for testing natural composites like organic cotton and pine rosin.

BMP Tree Hugger had also provided the product to tree-planting projects across the UK, cultivating relationships with organisations that understand the challenges of tree planting and value sustainability highly. Many are involved in the Forestry Plastics Group and testing is underway and ongoing with organisations like the National Trust, the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust.

Mike Appleton of Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust said: “We are trialling alternative tree shelters as part of our Plastic Free Woodlands project, which aims to reduce the number of plastic tree shelters being left to degrade in the countryside. We are trialling the Tree Hugger as one of these alternatives at a number of sites and so far, so good. It has been very easy to install and looks natural in the landscape.”

More information can be found here.