Tree Tubes Are Helping Tree Planters Achieve Success Despite The Odds

Tree planters across the USA are experiencing high success rates using Tubex Tree Tubes.  “People tend to think of tree planting as a natural act – kind of like ‘If you plant it, it will grow,’” said Christian Siems, staff forester for Wilson Forestry Supply, a leading distributor of tree tubes, “But tree seedlings planted in 2011 face more threats than ever before.”  Siems notes that the whitetail deer population stands at a record high, and deer browse can decimate a new planting in just a few days.
 
Newly planted tree seedlings also face competition for light, nutrients and water from grasses and weeds.  Add periodic drought, voracious rabbits and hungry rodents to the list of threats, and it becomes easy to see why failure is the rule for the majority of new tree plantings.
 
The solution?  For many tree planters the answer is a simple plastic tube, known as tree tubes, tree protectors, or treeshelters.
 
Tree tubes are cylindrical tubes made of twin-walled, translucent plastic, approximately three to four inches in diameter.  A four or five foot tall tree tube is placed over a 12 to 30 inch seedling.  According to Siems tree tubes provide multiple benefits:  “First, the tree tube protects the seedling from deer browse and other physical damage.  Second, it functions as a mini-greenhouse, shielding the seedling from drying winds and reducing moisture stress.  We typically see survival rates well above 90% and very rapid growth rates.”
 
For many tree planters, tree tubes have other benefits.  Tree tubes shield seedlings from herbicide spray, mowers and “brush hogs” removing competing vegetation.  Says Siems, “The success of any hardwood planting boils down to how well the landowner controls competing vegetation and gives the trees room to grow, both above and below ground.  Tree tubes make weed control easy – in fact in many cases doing weed control without them is impossible. ”

Contact Information

Christian Siems

Forester

Wilson Forestry Supply

(1) 507-301-5106

chris@wilsonirr.com