Last month Gary Hurlstone and Tim Oliver travelled to Scotland to catch up with Scottish Woodlands foresters Michael Wilson and Ali McTavish at one of their trial sites near Melrose.
Scottish Woodlands have proved to be supportive allies in the development of NexGen tree shelters, so it was a joy to see that after 18 months, the tree shelters were blending nicely into the surrounding countryside, with lichen forming on the surface of our naturally biodegradable material.
Trials are there for a reason – we didn’t expect to get everything right the first time, and Scottish Woodlands feedback has been very helpful. The new manufacturing process for a smoother tube collar will greatly reduce stem abrasion, a stronger helix construction process, vastly superior non-plastic and releasable ties, and a more compact and robust material, all make version two a big step forward. Our refined, commercial version will be out ahead of the next season’s planting.
Please talk to our distributors ahead of the autumn 2023 planting season.