The material below provides guidance and advice to woodland owners, managers and people working in Phytophthora-infected woodland or working with wood from Phytophthora-infected trees.
Hygiene precautions
When forestry operations are taking place in woodlands which have been confirmed as having either Phytophthora ramorum and/or P. kernoviae, best practice should incorporate general hygiene precautions, particularly those set out in Phytophthora Control Sites - operational precautions. This applies not only to minimising the spread of either of these two pathogens, but also to any other potentially damaging pests and diseases.
Best Practice
- All staff should be made aware of the guidance available from the links on this page. This document describes the recommended bio-security equipment woodland agents and advisors should carry when visiting infected woodland.
- Any operator who, during the course of any forest operation, comes into contact with infected larch or rhododendron should ensure that before leaving the site, footwear, tools, equipment, plant and machinery are free from any soil and plant debris. Because this is common practice when moving machinery from site to site via main roads, it is suggested that it is also extended to all movements of plant, machinery tools and equipment within the forest boundary. This should be achieved by simple brushing to remove as much soil and plant debris as is reasonably practicable.
- In areas where either P. ramorum or P. kernoviae is detected, measures will be imposed by the serving of a statutory Plant Health Notice, and these will include, in addition to the above measures, disinfection with an appropriate fungicide.
Guidance and advice
The following documents provide advice, guidance and instructions on a range of issues arising from P. ramorum infection of trees.
Financial support for owners and managers
Using Phytophthora Programme Funds to Support Action against Infected Japanese larch Woodlandsoutlines the financial support available to owners and managers of larch woodland in England and Wales that must be felled in compliance with a Plant Health Notice. The support is available to help with (a) the costs of clearing infected, immature Japanese larch, and (b) to help with the costs of support services provided by an agent to private woodland managers required to deal with infected Japanese larch. (See Qualified agents below.)
Woodland Regeneration Grant - Interim arrangements for 2011 gives details of supplements for replanting Phytophthora-infected sites in England, together with revised information on restocking standards and simplified grant rates.
Forestry Commission Scotland is considering what support measures would be appropriate in Scotland.
Processing of felling applications involving larch species
- Operations Note 23a: Processing of Felling Applications Involving Larch Species sets out the process for handling applications including felling, thinning and new planting or restocking of larch species in England according to the three risk zones for P. ramorum infection.
- Procedures in Wales are set out in FC Wales's Grants & Regulations Information Note 24.
- The process in Scotland is set out in the Forestry Commission Scotland felling licence pages of this website.
Replanting affected sites
Advice on Replanting Sites Affected by Phytophthora ramorum provides information about replanting conifer and broadleaf species on affected sites, including advice on whether to replant.
Supplementary Guidance for Sites felled due to Phytophthora
In England, Operations Note 24 provides advice on helping to prevent spread or re-infection from ramorum disease, and on restocking (replanting) the woodland. It has also been updated to clarify the legal position if an owner wishes to consider a change of land use after felling trees in compliance with a Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN).
Collecting foliage of host plants from woodland
Policy on collecting foliage (Rhododendron etc.) from woodlands sets out the policy on collecting foliage from P. ramorum and P. kernoviae host plants, such as rhododendron, growing in woodland in Great Britain.
Plant Health inspections
Guidance for Plant Health Inspectors can help you understand what to expect if a Forestry Commission plant health inspector needs to visit your premises. Inspections of trees and woodland by plant health inspectors play an important role in our efforts to manage outbreaks of plant diseases such as ramorum disease.
Precautions to take when moving and processing wood
Phytophthora Control Sites - operational precautions (pdf) sets out the biosecurity precautions that must be taken when moving wood from woodland where Phytophthora infecton has been detected.
Precautions to take when moving sawn wood with residual bark
Sawn wood: residual bark gives instructions for handling sawn wood with residual bark remaining on it.
Qualified agents
ENGLAND - The List of Qualified Agents provides the contact details of forestry agents who are qualified to provide advisory services to land owners and managers in England to help them comply with Statutory Plant Health Notices issued to control the spread of P. ramorum.
WALES - A list of similarly qualified agents available in Wales is available from a link on the 'Information for woodland owners and managers in Wales' page.
SCOTLAND - Forestry Commission Scotland is considering similar arrangements to those used in England and Wales. In the meantime Forestry Commission Scotland and Forestry Commission Plant Health Service staff will continue to advise on individual outbreaks.
Maps
The following links lead to maps showing:
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Last updated 21 October 2011
