Ok, a lot of words have been written marveling at the fast growth and high survival rate of seedling trees in tree tubes.
Not nearly as many - or nearly enough - words have been written about WHY trees grow better and survive at a much higher rate inside of tree tubes. Maybe that's because much of what we thought we knew about tree tubes 20 years ago turned out to be wrong. Maybe because there are several mechanisms at play, and it's always difficult to explain such a multi-faceted phenomenon.
So let's keep it simple. What kills tree seedlings, or reduces their growth rate? Moisture stress, animal damage, and weed competition.
1. First and foremost tubes tubes accelerate growth and increase survival by reducing moisture stress. Every minute of every day during the growing season wind sweeps moisture away from leaf surfaces. Leaves lose moisture, and then close their stomata - their pores - in order to conserve the moisture that remains. Of course when they do that they also stop growing.
Tree tubes shield leaves from wind, conserving moisture (which increases survival rate even under dry conditions), keeping stomata open, so the trees grow more actively more of the time.
Yes there are other, more complicated mechanisms at work to enhance growth, but in the end it all comes down to water conservation and keeping the stomata open so the tree's growth engine keeps chugging along.
2. It's tough to grow if you're being eaten by a deer or rabbit, or gnawed by a mouse or vole. The simple act of guarding seedlings from animal damage of course increases survival rates, but what's often overlooked is that it also accelerates growth.
3. Trees and grass are mortal enemies. The prairie and forest constantly battle each other for supremacy. Grass's biggest asset is that it can absorb and use the site's resources more quickly. In other words, it steals moisture and nutrients from the trees. Trees' ally in the battle against grass used to be fire. Fire would kill the grass, at least temporarily, giving the trees a chance to gain a foothold and get established.
In most cases these days the use of fire is not an option. That means that we, the tree planters, need to simulate the fire by providing complete weed control. Not mowing; mowing helps reduce rodent lairs but does nothing to prevent the below-ground battle for resources - and in fact invigorates grass to make it a fiercer competitor. It means chemical or mechanical weed control, or the use of weed barrier fabric.
How do tree tubes help with weed control? First - and this is a benefit that is under appreciated until you try tree tubes for the first time - you can actually find your trees amidst the sea of weeds and grass. Trust me, this is no small thing. Second, the tree tubes shield your seedlings from chemical weed control or mechanical cultivators.
You can see the problem - I set out to keep in simple and end up writing for a long time. But that's the "down side" of a product with so many benefits!
Think of it this way. If you grew a seedling in a greenhouse environment, safe from animals and with complete weed control it would grow as fast as if it was in a tree tube. But if you did that, it would be in a tree tube - just a very big, very expensive tree tube!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
What I DON'T want for Christmas!
In their early days tree tubes were known as Tuley Tubes, in honor of their inventory Graham Tuley of the British Forestry Commission.
For the complete tree geek on your shopping list you can now order a jigsaw puzzle of a photograph of a field of Tuley Tubes, presumably somewhere in Great Britain.
Not surprisingly shoppers on that web site give the item 1 star out of 5.
Now if it was a photo of a field of Tubex CombiTubes, now that would be a completely different story!
For the complete tree geek on your shopping list you can now order a jigsaw puzzle of a photograph of a field of Tuley Tubes, presumably somewhere in Great Britain.
Not surprisingly shoppers on that web site give the item 1 star out of 5.
Now if it was a photo of a field of Tubex CombiTubes, now that would be a completely different story!
Verbage
Certain nouns or names become so well known and popular they get turned into verbs in common usage.
One of those words is Tubex, as in Tubex Tree Tubes. A great product for protecting seedling trees from deer browse and other damage has become, in the minds of many professional foresters, a verb for protecting their seedlings. As in, "I need to Tubex those oak seedlings." As in, "I just got done Tubexing five acres of American chestnut seedlings." Or, "Those direct seeded acorns still need to be Tubexed."
That's what happens when you make the best tree tube on the market for nearly 30 years.
The story of Kleenex is used as a cautionary tale in this regard, a brand name which became so synonymous with the product category - facial tissues - that the manufacturer lost its trademark.
Tubex has a long way to go before that happens, since (unfortunately) more people blow their nose than plant trees. Not that I want people to blow their nose any less. And I have a feeling that if Tubex ever does have a "Kleenex problem," it will be considered one of those good problems to have!
One of those words is Tubex, as in Tubex Tree Tubes. A great product for protecting seedling trees from deer browse and other damage has become, in the minds of many professional foresters, a verb for protecting their seedlings. As in, "I need to Tubex those oak seedlings." As in, "I just got done Tubexing five acres of American chestnut seedlings." Or, "Those direct seeded acorns still need to be Tubexed."
That's what happens when you make the best tree tube on the market for nearly 30 years.
The story of Kleenex is used as a cautionary tale in this regard, a brand name which became so synonymous with the product category - facial tissues - that the manufacturer lost its trademark.
Tubex has a long way to go before that happens, since (unfortunately) more people blow their nose than plant trees. Not that I want people to blow their nose any less. And I have a feeling that if Tubex ever does have a "Kleenex problem," it will be considered one of those good problems to have!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Great Research Study, Great Results!
It's always tempting to focus on the extremely fast growth of many tree species in tree tubes. It's hard not to focus on it when you see crabapple trees start the year as six inch seedlings and emerge from 4 and 5 foot treeshelters before the end of summer!
But it's important to remember that fast growth in tree tubes is really just a means to an end - and that end is simply the long term survival of the tree.
All too many tree planting projects end in failure due to low seedling survival. Deer browse, competing vegetation, drought, wind and moisture stress and other factors all play a part. For most tree planters the bottom line is survival, which simply means: not having to plant that same piece of ground again. Fast growth is nice, and it's something to brag about to your neighbors and friends, but the main thing is simply success.
That's why this article is so great (follow the link and then click View Document). This studied tracked survival rates of four species, baldcypress (yes! baldcypress grows great in tree tubes!), water tupelo, swamp blackgum and green ash over five years, in 4 different types of sites and in the face of severe herbivory from beavers. Some interesting results:
Baldcypress, planted in a willow area,
With tree shelters: 97% survival
Without tree shelters: 45% survival
Green ash, planted in a grassy area,
With tree shelters: 90% survival
Without tree shelters: 8% survival
Green ash, planted in a a willow area,
With tree shelters: 88% survival
Without tree shelters: 2% survival
No, not all of the results were this dramatic, and I'm "cherry picking" the most compelling results the way that all salesmen tend to do.
But almost across the board the results tell one story: Success (with tree tubes) versus Replant (without tree tubes).
But it's important to remember that fast growth in tree tubes is really just a means to an end - and that end is simply the long term survival of the tree.
All too many tree planting projects end in failure due to low seedling survival. Deer browse, competing vegetation, drought, wind and moisture stress and other factors all play a part. For most tree planters the bottom line is survival, which simply means: not having to plant that same piece of ground again. Fast growth is nice, and it's something to brag about to your neighbors and friends, but the main thing is simply success.
That's why this article is so great (follow the link and then click View Document). This studied tracked survival rates of four species, baldcypress (yes! baldcypress grows great in tree tubes!), water tupelo, swamp blackgum and green ash over five years, in 4 different types of sites and in the face of severe herbivory from beavers. Some interesting results:
Baldcypress, planted in a willow area,
With tree shelters: 97% survival
Without tree shelters: 45% survival
Green ash, planted in a grassy area,
With tree shelters: 90% survival
Without tree shelters: 8% survival
Green ash, planted in a a willow area,
With tree shelters: 88% survival
Without tree shelters: 2% survival
No, not all of the results were this dramatic, and I'm "cherry picking" the most compelling results the way that all salesmen tend to do.
But almost across the board the results tell one story: Success (with tree tubes) versus Replant (without tree tubes).
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Where did tree tubes come from?
To the casual observer (forestry contractor, tree farmer, conservation district manager, etc.) it must seem like tree tubes (aka treeshelters) went from being a novelty to suddenly being all over the internet in the last few years. Many of these folks are probably asking themselves, where did tree tubes come from, and why are they suddenly "all the rage" in tree planting?
Here's a quick history, from someone who's been a part of it almost from the beginning.
Translucent plastic treeshelters were originally developed in the UK starting in 1979 by a British Forestry Commission Forester named Graham Tuley. In his honor they were originally - and in many places still are - called Tuley Tubes. The problem Mr. Tuley was trying to solve was common then and has become an epidemic now: Unchecked deer populations wiping out any and all attempts at hardwood reforestation. His solution? Use a translucent plastic tube to provide "safe passage" for the tree seedling to grow up past the level of deer browse. Naysayers thought these "mini greenhouses" would overheat and kill the trees. The opposite was true: It was found that tree shelters dramatically reduce moisture stress, and therefore increase survival rates and dramatically accelerate early growth.
Fast forward to 1989, when treeshelters were introduced to the USA for the first time. If anything, the need for tree tubes was even greater in the USA given the record numbers of white tailed deer (the 1900 population of deer in the USA is estimated at about 500,000; today we have states where that many deer are killed by hunters each year without any appreciable effect on herd numbers). However, two factors combined to retard the acceptance of tree tubes in their first 15+ years in the USA:
1. Perception high cost - Tree tubes were seen as being "too expensive," but it took some time before we all came to grips with part 2 of that statement: "compared to what?" Yes, tree tubes are expensive compared to the way we used to do things: plant a bunch of seedlings, walk away, deer eat the seedlings, repeat. In other words, tree tubes are expensive as compared to failure. In recent years, however, more and more foresters and tree planters have gained a better understanding of the economics involved. Now the prevailing thinking is, "Tree tubes reduce the cost of successful reforestation." When you take into account everything that goes into successfully establishing hardwood trees, and compare the cost of tree tubes to that, then you begin to see all of the ways tree tubes save money: Ability to plant fewer stems to achieve the same stocking level. Virtually zero replanting due to mortality. Fast and easy weed control. And, as always, protection from deer (and their "partners in crime" rabbits).
2. Problems with tree tube performance - Depending on their location, early adapters of tree tubes in the USA experienced difference versions of the same story: Elation at the initial survival, rapid growth and browse protection provided by treeshelters, followed by disappointment over some later problem or side effect. In northern climates it was winter die-back; seedlings didn't harden off properly for winter and were vulnerable to frost damage. In southern climates it was fungal problems brought about by too much humidity.
The original tree tubes designs did work well in one part of the USA: The Chesapeake Bay region. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. The climate of the mid-Atlantic region is probably as similar to the climate in the UK as you can get in the USA, maritime and moderate (although it still gets both hotter and colder in the American mid-Atlantic). So while acceptance of tree tubes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed stayed strong, it lagged in other parts of the country.
The solution? It seems so simple now it's almost laughable how long it took those of us "on the inside" to figure it out: Air. As in punching holes in the tree tubes. As in ventilation.
Ventilated tree tubes provide several benefits:
1. Equalize the temperature inside and outside of the tree tube, which helps trees harden off properly for winter in colder climates. Since the introduction of vented tree tubes, winter die-back has become a thing of the past. I actually look forward to spring - no more do I have to field dozens of called from customers ranging from disappointed to irate about how their beautiful trees, especially black walnut trees, that had almost emerged from their tree tubes the previous year had since died back to just above the ground line.
2. Minimize build up of humidity, reducing the incidence of foliar fungi problems in the Southeastern USA.
3. Increase the level of carbon dioxide available to the tree inside the tube (it was learned that in solid un-vented tree tubes low carbon dioxide levels becomes a limiting factor in growth)
4. Allow some air movement through the tube and pin-points of sunlight, giving the tree "signals" that it is growing in an open field & causing it to allocate more of its growth energy to stem thickness and root development. In other words: You get a healthier, more balanced tree.
Fast forward to 2010- well two days away from 2011. Tree tubes have become all the rage for three reasons:
1. The problems they solve - deer browse, poor hardwood seedling survival, weed control, etc. - have only gotten worse since 1989
2. There is a much clearer understanding that while tree tubes are more expensive that planting trees and walking away, they greatly reduce the time & cost involved in successful tree planting
3. Tree tube design, especially the state of the art Tubex CombiTube Treeshelter, has come a long way and no provides outstanding performance across the full range of climatic extremes in North America
So now that you know why you're seeing tree tubes everywhere on the internet and in the field. We hope you'll make Wilson Forestry Supply your source for the latest and greatest in treeshelter technology!
Here's a quick history, from someone who's been a part of it almost from the beginning.
Translucent plastic treeshelters were originally developed in the UK starting in 1979 by a British Forestry Commission Forester named Graham Tuley. In his honor they were originally - and in many places still are - called Tuley Tubes. The problem Mr. Tuley was trying to solve was common then and has become an epidemic now: Unchecked deer populations wiping out any and all attempts at hardwood reforestation. His solution? Use a translucent plastic tube to provide "safe passage" for the tree seedling to grow up past the level of deer browse. Naysayers thought these "mini greenhouses" would overheat and kill the trees. The opposite was true: It was found that tree shelters dramatically reduce moisture stress, and therefore increase survival rates and dramatically accelerate early growth.
Fast forward to 1989, when treeshelters were introduced to the USA for the first time. If anything, the need for tree tubes was even greater in the USA given the record numbers of white tailed deer (the 1900 population of deer in the USA is estimated at about 500,000; today we have states where that many deer are killed by hunters each year without any appreciable effect on herd numbers). However, two factors combined to retard the acceptance of tree tubes in their first 15+ years in the USA:
1. Perception high cost - Tree tubes were seen as being "too expensive," but it took some time before we all came to grips with part 2 of that statement: "compared to what?" Yes, tree tubes are expensive compared to the way we used to do things: plant a bunch of seedlings, walk away, deer eat the seedlings, repeat. In other words, tree tubes are expensive as compared to failure. In recent years, however, more and more foresters and tree planters have gained a better understanding of the economics involved. Now the prevailing thinking is, "Tree tubes reduce the cost of successful reforestation." When you take into account everything that goes into successfully establishing hardwood trees, and compare the cost of tree tubes to that, then you begin to see all of the ways tree tubes save money: Ability to plant fewer stems to achieve the same stocking level. Virtually zero replanting due to mortality. Fast and easy weed control. And, as always, protection from deer (and their "partners in crime" rabbits).
2. Problems with tree tube performance - Depending on their location, early adapters of tree tubes in the USA experienced difference versions of the same story: Elation at the initial survival, rapid growth and browse protection provided by treeshelters, followed by disappointment over some later problem or side effect. In northern climates it was winter die-back; seedlings didn't harden off properly for winter and were vulnerable to frost damage. In southern climates it was fungal problems brought about by too much humidity.
The original tree tubes designs did work well in one part of the USA: The Chesapeake Bay region. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. The climate of the mid-Atlantic region is probably as similar to the climate in the UK as you can get in the USA, maritime and moderate (although it still gets both hotter and colder in the American mid-Atlantic). So while acceptance of tree tubes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed stayed strong, it lagged in other parts of the country.
The solution? It seems so simple now it's almost laughable how long it took those of us "on the inside" to figure it out: Air. As in punching holes in the tree tubes. As in ventilation.
Ventilated tree tubes provide several benefits:
1. Equalize the temperature inside and outside of the tree tube, which helps trees harden off properly for winter in colder climates. Since the introduction of vented tree tubes, winter die-back has become a thing of the past. I actually look forward to spring - no more do I have to field dozens of called from customers ranging from disappointed to irate about how their beautiful trees, especially black walnut trees, that had almost emerged from their tree tubes the previous year had since died back to just above the ground line.
2. Minimize build up of humidity, reducing the incidence of foliar fungi problems in the Southeastern USA.
3. Increase the level of carbon dioxide available to the tree inside the tube (it was learned that in solid un-vented tree tubes low carbon dioxide levels becomes a limiting factor in growth)
4. Allow some air movement through the tube and pin-points of sunlight, giving the tree "signals" that it is growing in an open field & causing it to allocate more of its growth energy to stem thickness and root development. In other words: You get a healthier, more balanced tree.
Fast forward to 2010- well two days away from 2011. Tree tubes have become all the rage for three reasons:
1. The problems they solve - deer browse, poor hardwood seedling survival, weed control, etc. - have only gotten worse since 1989
2. There is a much clearer understanding that while tree tubes are more expensive that planting trees and walking away, they greatly reduce the time & cost involved in successful tree planting
3. Tree tube design, especially the state of the art Tubex CombiTube Treeshelter, has come a long way and no provides outstanding performance across the full range of climatic extremes in North America
So now that you know why you're seeing tree tubes everywhere on the internet and in the field. We hope you'll make Wilson Forestry Supply your source for the latest and greatest in treeshelter technology!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Hybrid Oaks + Tubex CombiTube Treeshelters = Optimal Growth!
Think oak trees are slow growing? Think again! When you give most oaks what they need to thrive - shelter from deer browse and aggressive weed control to simulate the beneficial effects of fire - you won't believe how fast oak trees can grow.
Still want even faster growth and early acorn production? Plant hybrid oaks! In nature oaks of different species frequently cross pollinate to create hybrids that have some of the characteristics of both parent trees. Oak experts have long noticed two traits of many hybrids: They grow faster than either parent species, and the begin producing acorns at an earlier age.
Many nurseries specialize in growing and selling hybrid oaks. One of our favorites is Mossy Oak's Nativ Nurseries.
Now hybrid oaks do cost more; it take a lot more effort on the part of the nursery to locate hybrid trees and monitor their performance over time so they can assure you of improved productivity.
It only makes sense to protect your investment in hybrid oaks with the best tree tube on the market, the Tubex CombiTube Tree Tube, from Wilson Forestry Supply. If you have any questions about this product, please contact our expert sales staff today.
Happy New Year, and Happy Hybrid Oak Planting!
Still want even faster growth and early acorn production? Plant hybrid oaks! In nature oaks of different species frequently cross pollinate to create hybrids that have some of the characteristics of both parent trees. Oak experts have long noticed two traits of many hybrids: They grow faster than either parent species, and the begin producing acorns at an earlier age.
Many nurseries specialize in growing and selling hybrid oaks. One of our favorites is Mossy Oak's Nativ Nurseries.
Now hybrid oaks do cost more; it take a lot more effort on the part of the nursery to locate hybrid trees and monitor their performance over time so they can assure you of improved productivity.
It only makes sense to protect your investment in hybrid oaks with the best tree tube on the market, the Tubex CombiTube Tree Tube, from Wilson Forestry Supply. If you have any questions about this product, please contact our expert sales staff today.
Happy New Year, and Happy Hybrid Oak Planting!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Plastic Forest
I found this old article online today. One reason I like it is that it dates to April, 1989 - almost the exact time that I first learned about tree tubes and realized their potential for re-establishing high value hardwoods in the face of increased deer pressure.
The article is a classic - a classic display of short-sighted stupidity that is. The author complains about all of the plastic treeshelters he was beginning to see when strolling the English countryside.
He did have one valid point: In those early days tree tube makers were overly optimistic in telling customers that the tubes would photodegrade into an inert powder within a certain number of years. We now know this to be untrue. Well-made tree tubes like the Tubex CombiTube Treeshelters we carry here at Wilson Forestry Supply, have a perforation line running the length of the tubes so that the tube will open up and expand as the tree growth.
And responsible manufacturers like Tubex make sure all customers know that the preferable practice is to remove the tree tubes when the trees reach approximately 3 inches in diameter, and dispose of them properly.
As for Malcolm Smith's other complaints about wanting to see the woods like more "natural," well...
Is it "natural" to have a white-tailed deer population that is many, many multiples of what it was 100 years ago?
Is it "natural" for high value hardwoods to compete with dozens of exotic and invasive weed species?
Is it "natural" to suppress the fires that gave oaks and other trees a competitive edge over the surrounding prairie grasses?
We are planting trees into a very "unnatural" world, and as such it makes sense that we must turn to "unnatural" methods, such as plastic tree tubes. After all, there's a reason foresters invented tree tubes in the first place: What they were doing before no longer worked!
So Mr. Smith had a choice: Put up with a few years of looking at plastic tree tubes (perhaps 5 years out of an 80 or 100 year rotation), or be forced to watch year after year after year of failed plantings.
It would be interesting to know, 21 years later, what Mr. Smith thinks of tree tubes now!
The article is a classic - a classic display of short-sighted stupidity that is. The author complains about all of the plastic treeshelters he was beginning to see when strolling the English countryside.
He did have one valid point: In those early days tree tube makers were overly optimistic in telling customers that the tubes would photodegrade into an inert powder within a certain number of years. We now know this to be untrue. Well-made tree tubes like the Tubex CombiTube Treeshelters we carry here at Wilson Forestry Supply, have a perforation line running the length of the tubes so that the tube will open up and expand as the tree growth.
And responsible manufacturers like Tubex make sure all customers know that the preferable practice is to remove the tree tubes when the trees reach approximately 3 inches in diameter, and dispose of them properly.
As for Malcolm Smith's other complaints about wanting to see the woods like more "natural," well...
Is it "natural" to have a white-tailed deer population that is many, many multiples of what it was 100 years ago?
Is it "natural" for high value hardwoods to compete with dozens of exotic and invasive weed species?
Is it "natural" to suppress the fires that gave oaks and other trees a competitive edge over the surrounding prairie grasses?
We are planting trees into a very "unnatural" world, and as such it makes sense that we must turn to "unnatural" methods, such as plastic tree tubes. After all, there's a reason foresters invented tree tubes in the first place: What they were doing before no longer worked!
So Mr. Smith had a choice: Put up with a few years of looking at plastic tree tubes (perhaps 5 years out of an 80 or 100 year rotation), or be forced to watch year after year after year of failed plantings.
It would be interesting to know, 21 years later, what Mr. Smith thinks of tree tubes now!
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