The government has launched an action plan to combat pests and diseases threatening the health of the UK’s trees.
The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan comes as across the UK large areas of the commercial timber species Japanese larch and pine are affected by the pathogen ramorum and red band needle blight respectively.
The plan will include more robust enforcement against people trying to bring in potentially infected plants and cuttings, as well as £7m research funding into combating new pathogens.
“If we don’t act now we could end up in a similar situation to the 1970s, when more than 30 million trees in the UK died due to Dutch elm disease,” said environment minister Caroline Spelman.
“There are new diseases and new threats now, and we need to do everything we can to protect our precious plants, trees and habitats.”
The Forestry Commission has welcomed the announcement, saying there were few more urgent issues in the forestry sector than pests and diseases.
The plan brings together a range of dedicated organisations – from the Forestry Commission to Food & Environmental Research Agency to key figures from the forestry and horticultural sectors – to draw up the UK’s first integrated strategy dedicated to protecting natural habitats from destruction.
