The potential risk of chestnut blight entering the UK was highlighted in a BBC Newsroom South East broadcast this week.
The disease, which attacks the bark of sweet chestnut trees, is found in mainland Europe and has reportedly been edging closer to Britain in recent years. However, head of the Forestry Commission’s plant health service Roddie Burgess said although the disease is ‘fairly serious’, strict import controls on chestnut have been in place for many years.
The Building Research Establishment has recently been evaluating chestnut’s potential for structural application and East Sussex hardwood timber merchant Nigel Braden, who supplied chestnut for the timber frame Woodland Enterprise Centre at Flimwell, was interviewed on the programme about use of the species in construction.
