Tree Health & The Landscape - Seminar (Part 1)

Last week I attended a seminar which was hosted by Barcham Trees on Tree Health and The Landscape. Following an overview by Colin Moore of the Landscape Institute, Dr. David Slawson from the Food and Environment Research Agency spoke. After a brief resume of the pests which are currently affecting trees and shrubs in this country we were left in no doubt as to the seriousness and scale of the threats this country currently faces. 

Several of the main contenders (Including Phytophthora ramorum and Chalara fraxinea) could potentially change the British landscape as we know it, indeed this is happening already with the large scale felling of Larch trees in Wales and South West Scotland.

Agrilus planipennis - Emerald Ash Borer  has recently been introduced to this country via imported package material

 As landscape professionals the advice was:

• Get involved - look for signs of disease and pests on site, disseminate knowledge with colleagues and clients, promote initiatives such as OPAL which encourage people to study and explore their local environment;
• Awareness of current legislation; 
• Adopt best practice - eg. source planting stock which have been propagated and grown in this country, avoid possible spreading of diseases through thorough cleaning of footwear.

Worryingly, when asked what the greatest threat to trees and vegetation in the UK he answered that we probably did not know what it was as it hadn't been discovered yet............