NEED TO ENGAGE PRIVATE OWNERS – Assessing the impacts of ash dieback [16Mar13]

The majority of forest volume in the UK is not publicly owned – out of a total forest area of 3 million hectares in the UK, only 28% is managed by the Forestry Commission. For ash, this figure is much lower, with only 3% of ash woodlands not owned by the private sector.

For private owners, the costs of surveying, felling, and replacing ash trees are likely to be high, and the effects of this could be long-lasting. An increase in the amount of timber in the market could also drive prices down, affecting landowners even further.

For landowners to engage in monitoring ash dieback, resources must also be available for them to do so. The number of inquiries sent to the Forestry Commission’s Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service has increased by 1000% over the past six months. As diseased trees come into leaf over spring, and more trees become infected when the Chalara fungus sporulates again in summer, this high workload could even increase.

The number of tree diseases present in the UK has risen exponentially over the past 20 years, and now, almost all tree species are under threat from at least one disease or pest. Red band needle blight and ash dieback threaten up to 18% of woodland in the UK.

The report compiled by Confor highlights that the extent of private ownership of ash woodlands needs to be taken in to account.

http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/blog/2013/03/15/assessing-the-impacts-of-ash-dieback/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EcologicalAndPolicyBlog+%28BES+Ecology+%26+Policy+Blog%29

 

SWAMPED – Biosecurity agency cut by Labour experiences 1000 per cent increase in workload [25Feb13]

In a normal year, the service receives a combined total of 750 enquires. But in autumn 2012, the UK saw multiple cases of chalara, a serious disease of ash trees which is caused by the fungus Chalara fraxinea.

Since then, THDAS has received over 4000 enquiries from England and Wales alone (as well as approximately 200 from Scotland), a workload ten times higher than normal.

That massively increased workload comes as the service struggles with budget cuts introduced in the years leading up to the 2010 election.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/02/biosecurity-agency-cut-labour-experiences-1000-cent-increase-workload

 

BORDER CONTROLS – Imported trees to be vetted by inspectors in bid to stop ash disease spreading [20Jan13]

• All consignments of plane trees, sweet chestnut, oak and ash are now being checked by plant health inspectors in a bid to stop disease
• imports must be accompanied by paperwork indicating the species of trees in transit, their origin and destination
• The clampdown come as ash dieback continues to spread

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2265291/Imported-trees-vetted-inspectors-bid-stop-ash-disease-spreading.html#ixzz2N1uXmL9K

 

NURSERIES’ PROFITS PRIORITISED – Ash dieback: infected nurseries removed from official map [23Dec12]

Nurseries infected with the deadly fungus set to wipe out Britain’s 80m ash trees have been removed from the official map of the outbreak the Guardian can reveal, after nursery owners complained that being identified might hurt their business.

Officials said permitting anonymity encourages nursery owners to come forward and report infections, but critics say concealing the identity of infected nurseries means the public and scientists trying to fight the epidemic do not have the full facts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/23/ash-dieback-infected-nurseries-map

 

SHAME! – Forestry Commission planted 70,000 imported ash trees despite warnings [28Dec12]

Two trade bodies, the Horticultural Trades Association and the Confederation of Forest Industries, warned the Commission of the potential threat of fungal disease in 2009.

But despite this 70,400 trees were brought in from abroad and now ash dieback- or chalara fraxinea – is now threatening to wipe out 80 million trees in Britain.

The infected Forestry Commission sites include Thetford Forest, in Norfolk, one of the biggest lowland forests in England with more than 19,000 hectares of woodland.

Also affected are Rendlesham Wood, a 1,500 hectare forest in Suffolk; Theberton Wood, a 25 hectare patch of woodland in Suffolk; Eggringe Wood, which forms part of a stretch of woodland on the Kent Downs covering 1,598 hectares; and the 400 hectare Elham Park Wood in east Kent.

The Forestry Commission also had to destroy 50,000 saplings at Dalbeatie Forest in Dumfries and Galloway after they were found to be infected.

It is understood the 70,000 imported ash trees represented 4.2 per cent of the total planted.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9769588/Forestry-Commission-planted-70000-imported-ash-trees-despite-warnings.html

 

ANOTHER FINDING – Ash dieback arrives in Cambridgeshire ancient woodland [12Dec12]

This is the first confirmed case on a Wildlife Trust nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, and also a first for the county’s ancient woodlands. The reserve remains open to visitors but, for biosecurity reasons, the public are reminded that if they do visit Gamlingay Wood to check their footwear on leaving and remove any organic matter.

http://www.wildlifebcn.org/news/2012/12/12/ash-dieback-arrives-cambridgeshire-ancient-woodland

 

 

INCOMPREHENSIBLE INSULT – Alan Titchmarsh is ‘a complete muppet’, says Tory minister [08Dec12]

The former presenter of Gardener’s World said the horticultural trade warned of ash dieback in 2009, but nothing was done to stop imports of the species.

He said ministers’ advice to wash boots, dogs and children after visiting a woodland would have “minimal effect” when the disease is already widespread. “I think expecting people to wash their dogs, boots children after a woodland walk is like sticking a plaster on a broken leg.

“This is fungal-led and wind-borne. It is here now. It is a matter of watching and waiting. We need to cull where possible when we find it, monitor and look out for resistant strains. We also need more stringent rules on imports.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/dec/08/alan-titchmarsh-complete-muppet-tory

 

 

SPENDING CONCERNS – Confor gives qualified welcome to Chalara control plan [06Dec12]

Clearly, the disease has been here for some time and more cases may be identified in the spring. This situation, with the knowledge of experience on the continent, makes Confor question how much resource can usefully go into controlling spread.

There is a real danger that an over-ambitious focus on reducing spread will take away resource from other vital areas of work, such as, putting in place a practical strategy for limiting the danger of future outbreaks and Forestry Commission resources for promoting forestry expansion and management.”

http://www.confor.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/News.aspx?pid=23&id=1370

 

 

ADAPT TO “INEVITABLE” – Ash dieback infection sites have doubled within a month, figures show [06DEC12]

The UK’s control plan is based on four measures – “reduce, develop, encourage and adapt”, said Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He said the aim was to reduce the spread of Chalara, develop new control measures and resistant varieties, encourage the public and industry to help out and adapt the nation’s forests to the inevitable changes.

However, Paterson said the current policy of tracing and destroying young infected trees – which has seen more than 100,000 trees removed – was “unlikely to be sustainable in the longer term and there may be benefits from a more targeted approach.” Boyd said control measures had to be “proportional” to ensure trade could continue and deliver “economic uplift” but said what a more targeted approach might be was yet to be determined.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/06/ash-dieback-infection-sites-double

 

 

“CONTROL PLAN” – Government sets out strategy to tackle Ash dieback [12Dec12]

The Control Plan outlines some additional actions including:

• researching spore production at infected sites;
• working closely with other European countries that have been affected by Chalara to share data and experience on  resistance to the disease;
• funding a study to accelerate the development of the ObservaTREE, a tree health early warning system using volunteer groups; and
• working with the horticulture and nursery sectors on long-term resilience to the impact of Chalara and other plant health threats.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2012/12/06/government-strategy-ash-dieback/