Help Us Keep Our Oak Trees Healthy
The health of the UK’s trees is a big deal, especially with all the diseases and pests around. Things have been pretty bad on Gravetye Estate with ash dieback disease and Ips typographus beetles causing significant damage to our beloved woodland.
Ash Dieback Disease and Ips typographus: Double Trouble
Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, has wiped out many ash trees across the UK. The disease shows up as leaf loss, crown dieback, and bark lesions, eventually killing the trees. Gravetye Estate has been hit hard, losing a lot of its ash trees.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Ips typographus beetle has also moved in. This pest goes for our Norway spruce trees. The beetle’s larvae burrow into the bark, messing up the tree’s nutrient flow and causing a lot of harm. Together, these two problems have meant an awful lot of felling over recent years.
Can you volunteer: Oak Tree Survey
To tackle these challenges, we’re launching an oak tree survey to keep an eye on our oaks’ health. We think it’s important to get the community involved in protecting these amazing trees.
We’re looking for volunteers to help check up on 5 oak trees each. It’s a simple process that only takes about five minutes per tree. Volunteers will look for and record key signs of tree health, like the condition of the leaves, presence of pests, and any signs of disease.
How You Can Help
We really need your help with this oak tree survey. By volunteering, you’ll be helping to preserve Gravetye Estate’s natural beauty and supporting our efforts to protect our oaks from future threats. Together, we can make a big difference.
Join us in this important effort! To get involved, please contact Fi Humphreys and follow the link below for more information.
https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/145159-volunteers-needed-to-help-monitor-health-of-oaks-in-new-research-project/
