Around 70,000 Tree Hugger Guards supplied by Agrovista Amenity have been used in one of the UK’s most significant new woodland projects - the Bradford Walk - ensuring sustainability is at the heart of this ambitious scheme.
The Bradford Walk at Bradford Estates on the Shropshire and Staffordshire border is a landmark project that combines historic woodland with 195,000 newly planted UK-grown trees across 220 acres. The initiative, which opens ten miles of woodland walks to the public for the first time in 1,000 years, has been four years in the making. It has been led by Bronwin & Abbey Ltd, specialists in woodland creation and management, alongside a network of local contractors, partners, and suppliers.
Robert South, Managing Director at Bronwin & Abbey, explained that the project required navigating a wide range of challenges:
“There were huge challenges around species diversity, ground types, conditions, and consultations. It’s a really complicated project and without such genuine and committed landowners it would have been very hard to deliver.”
A key part of the project was finding a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic tree guards. Robert explained that this decision was not taken lightly:
“It was a very long conversation between us and the landowner about whether it was the right thing to do. The view was that you shouldn’t be planting trees for carbon storage and then surrounding them in plastic.”
Following detailed research into every available option on the market, Robert and his team chose the Tree Hugger Guards, manufactured by BMP and supplied by Agrovista Amenity. Made from natural materials, organic cotton substrate and pine rosin, Tree Hugger Guards are designed to protect young trees from browsing animals, harsh weather, and other environmental stressors while gradually degrading, with no need to collect and no plastic waste.
Their eco-friendly construction ensures they protect newly planted whips whilst supporting biodiversity goals without compromising on durability or effectiveness. The sustainable credentials of the Tree Hugger range have also recently been recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which has endorsed the full range of biodegradable tree guards, vole guards, shrub shelters and hedge wraps.
“Tree Hugger guards stood out for their green credentials, their natural materials, and the fact they will degrade much quicker than most alternatives,” said Robert. “They’re fundamentally natural materials like cotton and pine rosin, which was very important to us.”
The RHS endorsement recognises products that support more sustainable planting practices and reduce reliance on single-use plastics, making the Tree Hugger range an ideal fit for this project.
For Robert, the successful delivery of the project also came down to strong partnerships:
“I’ve got a long-standing relationship with Aaron Thorpe at Agrovista Amenity, who’s been our go-to for years. Between ourselves, Agrovista, and the manufacturer, the communication has been excellent. Everyone pulled together to make it work, and those kinds of relationships are quite rare in today’s society.”
Robert sees the Bradford Walk as a blueprint for how large-scale woodland creation can be delivered for both public good and environmental benefit.
“If you’re building something for the public, for carbon, biodiversity, and other benefits, they absolutely have their place. This project demonstrates that.”
With the woodland walk now complete and open to the public, the use of Tree Hugger Guards has helped ensure that sustainability, biodiversity, and long-term stewardship remain at the centre of one of the UK’s most exciting new woodland projects.
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