Effect of treeshelters on the early growth of four Australian tree species

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Abstract
The effects of the commercial treeshelter ‘Growtube®’ on the growth of Eucalyptus cloeziana, Grevillea robusta, Araucaria cunninghamii and Casuarina cunninghamiana seedlings are reported. Twelve months growth data were analysed for seedlings grown in nil, 0.9 m, 1.9 m and 2.9 m lengths of Growtube. While differences between treatments were significant, the pattern of responses was similar for all species. Increasing the Growtube length resulted in increased height growth and a change in stem form. The use of 1.9 m and 2.9 m lengths of Growtube induced a columnar stem form which results in tree instability, thus long lengths of Growtube cannot be recommended for routine use. The 0.9 m Growtube provided an advantage over the nil Growtube, however, further research is required in order to determine an optimum Growtube length and to explore the full potential of these treeshelters.