Thousands of blighted pine trees to be felled
THOUSANDS of trees in the 200-acre Cromford Moor woodland near Matlock are to be felled by the Forestry Commission this summer as many have red band needle blight disease.
The disease is caused by a fungus that particularly affects Corsican pine, stunting its growth and in some cases killing the trees.
Most of the woodland is unaffected, but forestry chiefs say 3,500 trees need to be felled to enable the beauty spot to continue to thrive.
Forester Albin Smith said: “We will fell affected trees 10 to 15 years earlier than planned and replant with Norway spruce and fir.”