Friends of the Lake District appear to have broken rank amid growing calls for a ban on plastic tree guards in national parks across England and Wales.
Eleven organisations representing campaign groups want tree guards banned as a “highly-polluting microplastic”.
But FoLD is the only one of 12 which has not signed up to the call, it has emerged.
Supporters include organisations such as the Friends of the Yorkshire Dales, and the Friends of the South Downs.
They said the guards are a product of the fossil fuel industry and a “contributor to global heating” as well as having a lifespan of centuries.
FoLD officials were approached for a comment but did not respond.
The campaign calls on national parks to restrict the use of new plastic tubes for tree and hedge planting by the end of 2022.
Tree guards and tubes protect saplings from sheep and deer, but there have been calls for compostable guards instead.
It said: “We want to see a complete end to the use of single-use plastics in the supply of tree guards, much of which will inevitably become highly polluting micro-plastics, as well as the introduction of more effective controls and auditing in order to require a greater focus on recovering old tree guards and preventing further pollution.”
The Woodland Trust plans to stop using plastic tree guards on its estate and the National Trust too is reported to be trialling alternatives.
Bruce McLeod, chairman of the Friends of the Dales, said: “Society and governments are increasingly calling for a reduction in plastics in the environment. Due to the climate crisis and declarations of a climate emergency, they are also calling for an acceleration of tree planting in order to sequester carbon and off-set carbon emissions.
“An increase in tree planting should not equal an increase of plastic.”
“We support the collection and recycling of redundant tree guards. However, the size of that task only serves to underline that we should not add to this waste. There must be more accountability for the removal of plastic tree guards once they have served their purpose.”
Other supporters of the ban include the Snowdonia Society, North York Moors Association, Exmoor Society, Brecon Beacons Park Society, Friends of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Friends of the New Forest, The Broads Society, Friends of the Peak District and Dartmoor Preservation Association.
