The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Defra, APHA and Forest Research are asking the public to help monitor sweet chestnut trees for known problems and diseases to help map the spread of organisms new to the UK, launching during this year’s National Plant Health Week.
Sweet chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) are some of our most iconic street trees, also found in parks and woods across the country, providing food and a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife.
Unfortunately, the health of these trees is facing a growing threat from two devastating problems: the oriental chestnut gall wasp (OCGW) and a fungus, chestnut blight. To tackle this issue, the organisations are asking the public to become citizen scientists and check a sweet chestnut tree where they live, reporting any signs of disease or where the trees are healthy.
Getting involved in the project is easy and doesn’t require any specialist knowledge.
Signs to look out for include distorted leaves or buds with swellings (galls), a sparse crown and sunken, cracking or discoloured bark. Please visit the RHS website for full details.
The public are encouraged to report healthy trees, showing no signs or symptoms of OCGW or chestnut blight. Together with reports of OCGW and chestnut blight, this will inform Forest Research scientists of where affected trees are, as well as the proportion being affected. The data will be used to create a national map of the health of sweet chestnut trees across Britain, which will be invaluable for targeting future surveillance efforts and showing where current efforts protect trees are working. The process will also support efforts to monitor new or emerging threats to all tree health.
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Posted On: 10/05/2023