The plastic sleeve was held in place with three bamboo canes or hardwood stakes and was an extremely cheap tree guard solution. As an affordable option, plastic sleeves are still used in projects with small budgets. The significant downsides are how difficult they are to install and how easily they blow away if the stakes lose their tension. Plastic sleeves are also less easy to recycle, with fewer locations able to recycle the soft plastics from which they are made.

Tabbed guards would come as a flat-packed unit and required the installer to carefully insert different plastic tabs into each other to create a triangular structure. Tabbed guards have a minor advantage in that they can be opened up and placed around larger trees. Still, any tree large enough to require a tabbed guard to be opened up to go around has likely grown to a size sufficient enough to make using a guard pointless – other than spraying around it. The downside is that the time it takes to join all the tabs together and install them is more frustrating than the benefit of being able to open them up around a plant.

A welded guard also comes as a flat-packed unit but can easily be ‘popped’ open to create the triangular structure, saving significant time when installing. This time-saving translates to more trees getting planted for the same amount of money. In addition, the weld is significantly more robust than the tab system, which means a longer-lasting guard that is also reusable, saving further costs. A stronger guard also means less breaking apart onsite, providing a neater, tidier, and more presentable site – and less plastic ending up in the water!

Where is the evolution of these types of guards going from here?

It is clear from walking around planting sites where these tree guards are used that the primary problem with plastic guards, regardless of how they are constructed, is where they end up at the end of their life. Unless a collection program is implemented, the guards slowly fragment into microplastics, end up in our waterways, and may contribute to additional ecological problems. A responsible project manager will ensure the guards are collected and disposed of appropriately or recycled. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.

The next stage of evolution for these guards is to continue to research further options for a fully biodegradable version. Steps have been made in this direction, utilising cardboard as a construction medium. Some of these options have had tremendous success, including the Mallee BioGuard Tube Guard and the Mallee BioGuard 2L Carton Guard. A downside to these is their lifespan compared with a plastic guard – they are typically a single-season guard which breaks down after the first season. While this is a requirement to be considered a compostable product – and works well in many applications – some situations require a guard with a more extended lifespan, which would be beneficial!

Stay tuned as we look into various options for biodegradable plastics, the next stage of evolution for these guards.