Observatree VolunteerUpdate
Thursday 7th July 2016
Welcome / Dear Observatree Volunteers,
Welcome to the latest Observatree volunteer update! It’s hard to believe that we’re already half way through the year and right in the midst of the tree disease season again. This is the perfect time to spot Sirococcus tsugae on cedar species (see more information below) - volunteers Andy Gordon and David Griffith have reported positive sightings already this month!
It’s also time to be on the lookout for oriental chestnut gall wasp. Volunteers in Greater London and SE England have been assisting the tree health team at Forestry Commission England with targeted surveys in their regions. Thank you for responding so quickly! However, we would like all surveyors across the UK to check sweet chestnuts in their local area too. Don’t forget, negative reports are just as important as positive reports.
Best wishes
Helen
Helen Jones
Engagement Officer, Observatree
0343 7705692
Your hard work / Last month, you contributed 642 hours of time to the Observatree project. Thank you!
Don’t forget to record your time spent on the project using the activity diary:
The perfect time to spot Sirococcus tsugae / The advisory team at Forest Research is receiving an increasing number of reports for Sirococcus tsugaeon cedar and hemlock species. This is perfect time of year to see the classic symptoms of this shoot tip disease so please do get out there and see if you can spot it.
Ana Perez Sierra, pathologist at Forest Research, has sent the following photos showing the distinctive pink colour of the needles:
Photos taken by R. Baden, Forestry Commission
You can also find more information on the symptoms of S.tsugae on the Observatree website:
Link to latest webinar / In case you missed the last webinar on the plane & oak lace bugs, you can watch the recording here:
A copy of the presentation slides is also attached.
We will be taking a break from webinars over the summer so the next one will take place at 11.30am – 12pm on Wednesday 21st Septand will cover the Red necked longhorn beetle.
Interesting blog on exotic lace bugs /
Dr Chris Malumphy, Senior Entomologist at Fera Science Ltd., has written the latest Observatree blog on “exotic lace bugs – a threat to London plane and oak.”
Some of you will have met Chris at the Yorkshire and Humberside volunteer networking event last autumn.
Read about Chris’ Belgian bug hunting trip and why he thinks we should be a little more worried here in the UK:
Tree Health News
Oriental chestnut gall wasp / Stephen Middleton, Observatree volunteer in London, has spotted OCGW – luckily he was in Fontainebleau forest in France at the time!
‘Don’t touch’ reminder over oak processionary caterpillar nests / People in parts of London and some neighbouring counties are being reminded not to touch the nests which oak processionary caterpillars could now be building in oak trees in some areas.They are also being advised to protect animals from contact with the nests, and to report sightings to the Forestry Commission.
Oak processionary moth (OPM) caterpillars and their nests are a tree, human and animal health hazard. The caterpillars shed thousands of their tiny hairs in the nests, and these can cause itching skin rashes and eye irritations and, more rarely, breathing difficulties in people and animals.
The caterpillars build their distinctive white, silken, webbing nests and trails in June on the trunks and branches of oak trees, anywhere between ground level and many metres high. The nests become discoloured after several days, and harder to see as a result. They can also fall out of trees, creating a hazard to curious children and pets, and grazing livestock.
Alison Field, the Forestry Commission’s South-East England Director, encouraged local people to help tackle the pest by reporting sightings of the nests and caterpillars, but not to touch or approach them:
“We want to keep our woods, parks and gardens safe for everyone to enjoy, and the public can help us by reporting OPM nests and caterpillars to us so that they can be properly removed.
“However, please don’t try to remove the nests yourself. To be as effective and safe as possible, this job needs to be timed just right and done by people with the right training and equipment, and the nests must be disposed of properly."
Climate Change and Invasive Alien Species Worsen Outlook for Forest Health / An interesting article from the latest edition of Spotlight.
IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion, significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member organisations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and researchers.
As global trade has expanded, there has also been an accompanying increase in invasions of insects and pathogens into areas where they never before existed. In many cases these invasions have caused significant forest damage, negative economic impacts and loss of forest ecosystem services.
Meanwhile, climate change is affecting the geographic distribution of host trees and their associated insects and pathogens. Increased pest impacts – both native and alien – can be expected.
“Each of those subjects – invasive alien species, trade, and climate change – is, in isolation, important to forest health. But in combination, the impacts are likely to be even more serious“, said IUFRO’s Forest Health Division Coordinator Dr.EckehardBrockerhoff of Scion (the New Zealand Forest Research Institute).
Dr.Brockerhoff and Dr. Tod Ramsfield of the Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, along with Drs. Barbara Bentz of the United States Forest Service, Massimo Faccoli of the University of Padua, and HervéJactel of INRA, France, coordinated a special issue of Forestry published by Oxford University Press.
A copy of the full article is attached.
The impact of Dutch elm disease / An interesting set of photos from Joan Webber, principle plant pathologist at FR, showing the landscape-scale impact of Dutch elm disease:
How churchyards could be England's Noah's arks / They have stood for centuries in every village and neighbourhood in England, virtually undisturbed and, more often than not, unnoticed. But the parish churchyards of England could soon be under the spotlight like never before from scientists and conservationists amid hopes they could prove to be a collective “Noah’s Ark” of vanishing species of plant and tree.
Experts believe they could prove to have been the last redoubt of hundreds of unique local subspecies of plant and tree - and the wildlife which depend on them - but could now be used a launch pad to restore the country’s lost biodiversity and even yield future scientific breakthroughs.
Read the full article here:
Woodland Trust News
Pine Marten project / The Woodland Trust is involved in supporting a Vincent Wildlife Trust project aiming to reintroduce pine martens in Wales. WT volunteers are tasked with watching footage from cameras deployed around the release sites to identify sightings of the pine martens so we can follow their progress. Please find attached a copy of the latest project newsletter.
You can also read the following article on the BBC website:
Re-wilding in action / An amazing report from my conservation colleague, Jill Butler, regarding bison in Holland:
“So lucky yesterday to get even closer to the re-wilded bison herd in the Dutch Kraansvlaak dune area. No fences and with a large group of about 12 loudly chattering people we were able to view them from about 50m away.
A great deal of research is being undertaken into the effects of this herd on the ecology, interaction with people and their dogs, gene flow across the remaining European bison etc.What the Dutch are absolutely sure about is that, contrary to all the mythology about this animal, it is a wood pasture, open forest animal not a plantation/high forest animal.”
Job opportunities / The Woodland Trust is advertising the following roles. All of these posts are based at Head Office in Grantham unless otherwise stated:
- Assistant Conservation Advisor, Data and Management Information
- Assistant Site Manager – Devon
- Focus Areas Manager – West Coast Scotland
- Forestry Graduate Development Programme
- Site Manager – Devon
- Site Manager – Gloucestershire and Herefordshire
- Site Manager – Loch Arkaig
- Acquisition Manager – Regular Giving
- Developer
- Lead Supporter Acquisition Manager
- Market Research Assistant (6 month fixed term contract)
- Membership Development Co-ordinator (6 month fixed term contract)
- Procurement manager
- Recruiter (6 month contract)
- Volunteer development officer – Scotland
Training opportunities / The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) have released details of their summer training programme. They are offering courses on Surveying for bats in woodland; Introduction to Wetland Habitats; Hazel dormouse – handling and survey methods; and many other topics.
Find out more on their website here
And finally . . . / Please send in any interesting stories, news articles or photos that I can include in the next update
Thanks
Helen
0343 7705692