Serried ranks of Tuley Tubes

Plastic tree shelters, or Tuley Tubes, were invented by forester Graham Tuley back in the late 1970's. They protect trees from animal damage and improve growth by creating a 'greenhouse effect' round each tree. At the time, Tuley was researching the growth of oak seedlings and needed a way of protecting them from climate, livestock and competing vegetation. Since then many millions of the tubes have been used.

Tuley's work on tree shelters has won him international recognition and many awards. Perhaps the most remarkable honour was the selection of the treeshelter as one of the 100 best inventions in the first International Inventors Award. Organised by the Swedish Inventors Association in 1986 the aim of the award was to recognise technical innovations that helped solve social and economic problems.