Survival of woodlands hinges on greater species diversity

Landowners need to plant a wider variety of tree species to protect woodlands from being wiped out by an increasing disease threat and damage by pests, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) says.
WoodlandWoodland
Woodland

The deadly ash dieback infection that has killed ash trees across Europe over the last 20 years has been confirmed at 18 sites in Yorkshire and 592 sites in total across the UK since being discovered in England on ash plants imported from The Netherlands at a Buckinghamshire nursery last year.

Mike Seville, the CLA’s forest and woodlands adviser, says by reintroducing native species such as lime and aspen trees and planting more adventurous mixes of non-native species, woodlands would have the strength to recover while scientists work on a cure.

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He said: “Research is being undertaken and scientists are working on the problem. The public is even being recruited to help, but there is little we can do until we can find ways to deal with all that is threatening our trees.”

The Food and Environment Research Agency based near York carried out Defra-funded field and laboratory testing of products against ash dieback this summer and are due to report on the outcomes in the coming weeks.

Mr Seville added: “If we are to have a real chance of slowing the spread of new diseases we must all accept stronger import controls and curb our desire for new exotic plants and instant gardens.”

Other diseases posing a risk to woodlands include red band needle blight which kills pine tree needles and phytophthora ramorum which attacks larch trees.

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“The reality is that there is no cure for most of these killers so we will have to learn to live with them,” Mr Seville said.

“We must try to ensure that even if we lose trees, entire woods do not disappear from our landscape.

“This would be helped by growing together a wider variety of trees in a range of ages, and ideally mixing broadleaves and conifers. Thus if one species were to be lost others might well survive.”

Deer and grey squirrel numbers also needed to be better managed, he said.