The independent Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce was established by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Ian Boyd, late last year to address the current and emerging threats to the UK’s trees and plants. Working with an advisory group made up of various stakeholder organisations, to include industry, Defra, and the Forestry Commission as well as Border Force, the taskforce is proposing a number of initiatives aimed at minimising the risk of plant pests and diseases.
Professor Chris Gilligan, chair of the taskforce and Professor of Mathematical Biology and Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said: “The UK needs to be better prepared for threats to plant health. In the last few years alone, several previously unknown pests and pathogens have emerged, posing significant risks to the UK’s crops as well as trees in woodlands, commercial forests and in urban environments.
“By increasing our understanding of what pests and diseases are the biggest threats and how best to mitigate their impact, we can minimise potentially devastating outbreaks.”
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Image: Drothistroma needle blight on pines
Credit: Forestry Commission
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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Experts advocate stronger measures to protect trees and other plants
21 May 2013
As the fungus responsible for ash dieback continues to devastate ash tree populations throughout the UK and other threats to the countryside continue to emerge, experts convened by Defra are advocating stronger measures to protect the UK’s trees and plants.