GREAT SPRUCE BARK BEETLE DISCOVERED IN KENT

An outbreak of a beetle which can be deadly to conifer trees has been discovered in a Kent woodland. Dendroctonus micans (the Great Spruce Bark Beetle) inflicts damage by eating away at the bark of the tree. This can result in death to the tree through insufficient bark being available to support its systems, or by making the tree more prone to disease. It is a pest of mainly Norway spruce and is found all across northern Europe through Asia to Japan, wherever there are coniferous forests. It attacks most spruces and on the continent has also been found in other conifers including Pine, Fir, Larch and Douglas fir. First discovered in Britain in 1982 it has been successfully contained to Wales and adjoining English counties. Statutory controls prevent the movement of untreated spruce wood out of the existing area of infestation into the rest of the country and regulations also control importation of conifer timber to prevent invasion from other countries. This is the furthest outbreak discovered outside the restricted area. The find was made in a private woodland by a former Forestry Commission member of staff. Commission scientists are now mounting a survey in the area to establish the scale of the outbreak. Roddie Burgess, the Commission’s Head of Plant Health said today: "All the evidence points to the beetles having been brought into the country on infested wood, possibly packaging material, on the back of a lorry. It underlines the need for continued vigilance at all of our ports to ensure that harmful pests are not brought into the country. “Fortunately, at this time of the year, the insect is dormant and will not spread. We have time on our side to carry out full surveys before deciding, in consultation with woodland owners, what action is needed. We have good experience in dealing with this beetle following its discovery in Shropshire in 1982. Our control strategy there has been to fell and destroy any infested wood and also to release a specific predator, Rhizophagus grandis. We maintain a predator breeding programme and if necessary can scale this up to have a supply ready for next spring." NOTES TO EDITORS 1. A similar outbreak of the beetle in Warwickshire last year was successfully contained by selected felling and destruction of the timber followed by release of the predator. 2. Controls have been in place in the restricted area since 1982 and work to contain the beetle includes annual surveys of the outermost 10 Km of the control area to detect outward movement, combined with control felling and the release of Rhizophagus grandis. 3. Since the presence of D. micans can be difficult to detect, the prolonged presence of Rhizophagus also acts as an indicator that the beetle is still present in a wood since it cannot survive without D. micans. 4. The Forestry Commission has Plant Health officers covering all ports in Britain to inspect timber coming into the country to protect against the invasion of potentially damaging insects such as D. micans and Ips typographus. 5. Photographs of both D. micans and Rhizophagus are available from the Forestry Commission press office. Colin Morton 0131 314 6249