ash - LJN Blog Posts - Landscape Juice Network2024-03-29T10:56:17Zhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/ashThe oak, beech and birch could be lost if Britain does not act quicklyhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/the-oak-beech-and-birch-could-be-lost-if-britain-does-not-act-qui2015-01-12T09:53:28.000Z2015-01-12T09:53:28.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><div class="widget storyContent article widget-editable viziwyg-section-1024 inpage-widget-8939454 articleContent">
<p>Urgent action must be taken to save Britain's forests from being devastated by a wave of new diseases brought by climate change and the global trade in plants, leading scientists have warned.</p>
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<p>Species such as oak, ash, Scots pine, larch, beech, birch and juniper are all at risk from a host of new bugs, fungi and bacteria, some of which are already in the country. Others are expected to arrive soon.</p>
<p>One expert has warned that Britain's forests could suffer a similar fate to woodlands in much of the US, where vast stands of trees have been wiped out by beetles, whose numbers have exploded in the warmer temperatures.</p>
<p>Full article: <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/trees-under-threat-the-oak-beech-and-birch-could-be-lost-if-britain-does-not-act-quickly-9970347.html" target="_blank">http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/trees-under-threat-the-oak-beech-and-birch-could-be-lost-if-britain-does-not-act-quickly-9970347.html</a></p>
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</div>Tasmania's giant ash trees may be the world's tallesthttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/tasmania-s-giant-ash-trees-may-be-the-world-s-tallest2014-12-29T08:13:34.000Z2014-12-29T08:13:34.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>The trees in question are mountain ash, the tallest flowering trees in the world. They are not quite the tallest trees of any kind: that record belongs to the coast redwoods of the western US. But that might be because things have been skewed against the mountain ash.</p>
<p>It turns out that humans have been cutting them down in their prime, and they may have reached even more prodigious heights in the past. If conditions improve, might they one day beat out the redwoods?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141222-the-worlds-new-tallest-tree" target="_blank">Read more on the BBC</a></p>
</div>Ash disease found in Derbyshirehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-disease-found-in-derbyshire2013-12-17T15:10:27.000Z2013-12-17T15:10:27.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>A further case of the tree disease Chalara, also known as ash dieback, has been confirmed in a woodland on the Derbyshire border, near Swadlincote.</p>
<p>Derbyshire is the 16th county in England where Chalara has been discovered in the wider environment (forests and woodland), has been confirmed in 615 sites including 244 locations in the wider environment.</p>
<p>Chalara was discovered in England’s woodland in Autumn 2012 as a result of the intensive survey carried out of sites across the UK where ash trees are known to be present.</p>
<p>The ash tree is a native British species of tree, providing around five percent of all woodland cover.</p>
<p>A map showing all locations with confirmed cases of Chalara is available at the <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">Forestry Commission website</a>.</p>
</div>Chalara ash dieback fungus might have mechanism to define territory and combat viruses, research showshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/chalara-ash-dieback-fungus-might-have-mechanism-to-define-territo2013-11-15T09:48:43.000Z2013-11-15T09:48:43.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>The fungus which causes Chalara dieback of ash trees has the potential to defend itself against virus attacks, research by British scientists has shown.</p>
<p>Plant pathologists Dr Joan Webber, from Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, and Professor Clive Brasier found that the defence mechanisms which the Chalara fraxinea (C. fraxinea) fungus uses to defend its territory could make it more resistant to virus-based control methods. Their research findings have been published in the journal Fungal Ecology*.</p>
<p>Professor Brasier and Dr Webber studied C. fraxinea’s genetic recognition system, called a vegetative compatibility (vc) system, in samples of the fungus from three different UK sites. Their results suggest that for most of these UK samples the fungal colonies are likely to be vegetatively incompatible with one another. This has implications for studying the biology of the fungus and for controlling its spread.</p>
<p>Vegetative compatibility (vc) systems are a fungal equivalent of the tissue rejection systems in humans, enabling the fungus to distinguish between self and non-self. Fungal colonies of the same vc-type can fuse to form a single individual, but those of a different vc-type cannot. Vc systems are central to the ecology and survival of a fungus, enabling it to define its territory, to resist viral attack and to promote outbreeding. Initial results show that the vc system of C. fraxinea generates a reaction between incompatible colonies which makes their filaments (the mycelium) collapse, creating a zone between the two colonies where growth is inhibited.</p>
<p>If the vc system is ‘switched on’ during early infection of ash leaves, the spores (ascospores) responsible for infection might antagonise one other, which could reduce their ash colonizing ability.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if the vc system is ‘switched off’, the germinating spores might co-operate during ash leaf infection, leading to a greater spread of the fungus. Later, as larger lesions form in ash tissues, the vc system might define the ‘territory’ defended by each pathogen individual.</p>
<p>Commenting on their results, Professor Brasier said:</p>
<p>“This research is still at a preliminary stage. The fact that most isolates of Chalara fraxinea are incompatible with one another could mean that it might be difficult to deploy damaging fungal viruses against the pathogen as a disease control method, because viruses usually spread more readily in a fungal population when the colonies are able to fuse.”</p>
<p>More information on Chalara dieback of ash is available on the Forestry Commission website at <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara">www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara</a>.</p>
</div>Ash trees also face insect threathttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-trees-also-face-insect-threat2013-09-27T14:19:34.000Z2013-09-27T14:19:34.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>An insect that has killed more than 99% of North American ash trees it has infested could be heading to the UK, according to scientists.</p>
<p>The emerald ash borer is a beetle that is native to Asia and eastern Russia, but entered into North America around 2002.</p>
<p>It has now been found west of Moscow and scientists believe it is heading towards Europe.</p>
<p><strong>BBC:</strong> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24290530" target="_blank">Ash trees also face insect threat</a></p>
</div>Ash disease found in Somersethttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-disease-found-in-somerset2013-09-18T08:15:58.000Z2013-09-18T08:15:58.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>A case of the tree disease Chalara, also known as ash dieback, has been confirmed in woodland in Somerset, near Minehead.</p>
<p>Somerset is the 15th county in England where Chalara has been discovered in the wider environment (forests and woodland); the other counties are Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Devon, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Dorset and Northumberland.</p>
<p>The disease has now been confirmed in 564 sites including 206 locations in the wider environment.</p>
<p>Chalara was discovered in England’s woodland last autumn as a result of the intensive survey carried out of sites across the UK where ash trees are known to be present.</p>
<p>As the trees are now in leaf, it is easier to see cases of Chalara and further sites are likely to be identified.</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">Chalara dieback of ash (Chalara fraxinea)</a></p>
</div>Public being called upon to help in Ash dieback fighthttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/public-being-called-upon-to-help-in-ash-dieback-fight2013-08-21T10:01:26.000Z2013-08-21T10:01:26.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314121130?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314121130?profile=original" width="300" /></a>A new project to help scientists identify species of ash tree that are resistant to Chalara fraxinea or 'dieback' has been launched by the University of East Anglia.</p>
<p>Members of the public are being called on to monitor the long-term health of ash trees around the UK in what researchers hope will become one of the country’s biggest citizen science projects.</p>
<p>The new initiative comes from the team that launched Ashtag last year – a mobile phone app that allowed people to report sightings of the disease as it swept across the country.</p>
<p>The new project will allow members of the public to physically tag both diseased and healthy trees with a unique ID number and monitor their long-term progress using an updated AshTag app.</p>
<p>Users are encouraged to submit photos of their tagged trees over a period of years, building up a clearer picture of how ash dieback affects long-term tree health.</p>
<p>The app will also be used to track down dieback-resistant trees and results will be fed back to scientists, including those at the John Innes Centre in Norwich working on the Nornex project - a network of research groups which aims to provide tools that can help understand, and ultimately limit the impact of ash dieback.</p>
<p>Chris Blincoe of the Adapt Group at UEA, said: "By calling on the huge number of people who are concerned about the future of the UK’s ash trees, we can begin to understand how the disease progresses through trees at different stages of maturity, and importantly investigate why some trees remain uninfected for no clear reason.</p>
<p>"We had a huge positive response to the AshTag app. It was downloaded by around 12,000 people and more than 1,000 suspected dieback sightings were reported, enabling the spread of the disease to be clearly documented. With this new phase of AshTag, people can play a more active part in helping to fight back against ash dieback.</p>
<p>"We hope that thousands of people, from school groups and nature lovers to dog walkers and farmers will use the app to monitor the health of their local trees and become stewards for the nation’s ash population."</p>
<p>As well as camera integration, uploading and geo-tagging technology, the app also comes with identification guides to help users know what they are looking for. The fully recyclable AshTag packs include five ID tags, enabling individual ‘AshTaggers’ to monitor the health of multiple trees.</p>
<p>The project has been made possible with funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.</p>
<p>To find out more about how to get an Ash Tagging pack and start monitoring the progress of the UK’s ash population, visit <a href="http://www.ashtag.org/" target="_blank">www.ashtag.org</a> or download the new AshTag smartphone app for iPhone and Android.</p>
</div>Ash disease found in Dorsethttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-disease-found-in-dorset2013-08-20T12:14:44.000Z2013-08-20T12:14:44.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>A further case of the tree disease Chalara, also known as ash dieback, has been confirmed in woodland in Dorset, near Dorchester.</p>
<p>Dorset is the 13th county in England where Chalara has been discovered and means the disease has now been confirmed in 557 sites including 198 locations in the wider environment (forests and woodland).</p>
<p>Chalara was discovered in England’s woodland last Autumn as a result of the intensive survey carried out of sites across the UK where ash trees are known to be present.</p>
<p>As the trees are leafing, it is easier to see cases of Chalara and further sites are likely to be identified.</p>
<p>Martin Ward, chief plant health officer said: "We expected to see new cases once the leaves came through on ash trees.</p>
<p>"The better informed we are, the more effective we can be in our work to reduce the impact of this disease and we will be investigating this new case closely."</p>
<p>Other counties where ash dieback has been found are Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Devon, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Northumberland.</p>
<p>Detailed information and a map showing all locations with confirmed cases of Chalara is available on the <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">Forestry Commission website</a>.</p>
</div>Facebook game aims to help in fight against ash diebackhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/facebook-game-aims-to-help-in-fight-against-ash-dieback2013-08-13T10:39:06.000Z2013-08-13T10:39:06.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314127379?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314127379?profile=original" width="550" /></a>A Facebook game has been created that enables puzzle fans to help tackle a disease threatening the UK’s ash trees.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/fraxinusgame/" target="_blank">Fraxinus app</a>, asks players to match sequences of coloured leaves, which represent strings of genetic information.</p>
<p>It is hoped that by harnessing the power of social media a scientific solution will be found to protect ash trees from the <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-8udm6s" target="_blank">Chalara fraxinea</a> fungus.</p>
<p>"Each play of the game will contribute a small but useful analysis," said Dr Dan MacLean from The Sainsbury Laboratory who conceived the idea.</p>
<p>"The more people who play it, the more accurate the results will be for us and the quicker we can generate the information needed to help our woodlands recover from the current epidemic."</p>
<p>People are better at this type of matching task than computers alone, because the human eye can recognise patterns that computers miss.</p>
<p>Many of the UK's 80m ash trees are threatened by ash dieback.</p>
<p>Scientists believe some trees may have natural immunity to Chalara and could be used to grow resistant forests.</p>
<p>The Chalara and ash tree genomes consist of about 60 million and one billion letters respectively.</p>
<p>All the puzzles in the game feature likely trouble spots that the scientists would like investigated to help break down the data. The size of the task makes the contribution of non-specialists invaluable.</p>
<p>"Computer power alone is not the answer to making the most of our data,”" said Dr MacLean.</p>
<p>"An awful lot of human expertise and knowledge has to be poured on top and with this game we can start to include the non-specialist."</p>
<p>Closely matched sequences earn high scores and allow players to claim patterns.</p>
<p>If another player uses the same pattern to achieve a higher score, they can steal the pattern and claim it for their own. Each pattern theft helps make the resulting data more accurate.</p>
</div>Ash dieback disease found in Devonhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-dieback-disease-found-in-devon2013-07-04T18:09:17.000Z2013-07-04T18:09:17.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>A further case of the tree disease Chalara, also known as ash dieback, has been confirmed in a woodland in Devon.</p>
<p>This brings to 11 the number of counties in England where Chalara has been discovered in the wider environment (forests and woodland); the other counties are Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Lincolnshire and Northumberland.</p>
<p>The disease has now been confirmed in 525 sites including 185 locations in the wider environment.</p>
<p>Chalara was discovered in England’s woodland last Autumn as a result of the intensive survey carried out of sites across the UK where ash trees are known to be present.</p>
<p>As the trees are leafing, it is easier to see cases of Chalara and further sites are likely to be identified.</p>
<p>A map showing all locations with confirmed cases of Chalara is available at <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara</a>.</p>
</div>Loss of trees linked to higher death rates in humans via@Treehuggerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/loss-of-trees-linked-to-higher-death-rates-in-humans-via-treehugg2013-06-11T06:50:35.000Z2013-06-11T06:50:35.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>It's no secret that plants play an essential role in the health and well-being of our planet. But a new study suggests that as the trees around us become fewer, it may actually come at the expense of human lives.</p>
<p>Over the past decade, an estimated 100 million trees have perished across the eastern and midwestern regions United States, victims of the devastating emerald ash borer invasion. Since first entering the U.S. in 2002, the invasive beetle has gone on to attack trees in 15 states, leaving a lifeless tangle of baren branches and tree-stumps in its wake.</p>
<p>Continue reading: <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/loss-trees-liked-higher-death-rates-humans.html" target="_blank">Loss of trees linked to higher death rates in humans</a></p>
</div>Woodland Trust and HTA say work must continue to protect UK treeshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/woodland-trust-and-hta-say-work-must-continue-to-protect-uk-trees2013-05-22T09:17:26.000Z2013-05-22T09:17:26.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p>Both the <a href="http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">Woodland Trust</a> and <a href="http://www.the-hta.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Horticultural Trades Association</a> (HTA) have stressed that work must be stepped up to protect UK trees and plants.</p>
<p>The two associations have published replies <a href="http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-uk-trees-and-plants" target="_blank">to the report</a> from the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce, which outlined a number of recommendations to ensure trees and plants were protected.</p>
<p>The appointment of a chief plant health officer who would oversee a detailed and often-updated Plant Health Risk Register, were stressed as being very important steps.</p>
<p>Sue Holden, Woodland Trust chief executive, said: "The creation of a new position for chief plant health officer at Defra is a step in the right direction and we're pleased to see the Secretary of State following through on his previously stated ambition to ensure plant health and animal heath are treated with equal seriousness."</p>
<p>And the HTA said it was vital that any register was freely available to its members, and others, to ensure swift action could be taken should pest problems or disease arise.</p>
<p>Gary Scroby, HTA policy manager, said: "The task force proposal for a single, prioritised risk register is one which industry fully supports.</p>
<p>"Our members need to know where to look for up-to-date scientific advice on plant health concerns, and it is therefore important that the proposed register is refreshed on a regular basis.</p>
<p>"The <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">Chalara episode</a> has demonstrated the need for clear and prompt communications between the plant health authorities and nurseries, landowners and NGO stakeholders, and we therefore also welcome the recommendation to develop a modern, user-friendly system to disseminate information about plant health."</p>
<p>For more information on the Woodland Trust's plans and ongoing work to tackle tree disease, visit <a href="http://treedisease.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.treedisease.co.uk</a>.</p>
</div>More needs to be done to protect UK trees and plantshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-uk-trees-and-plants2013-05-21T07:00:00.000Z2013-05-21T07:00:00.000ZCraig McGintyhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/CraigMcGinty<div><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UuU8_e0Vw8Q?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>More needs to be done to protect the UK's trees and plants from invasive pests and diseases, a government backed report has said.</p>
<p>The report from the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-health-and-plant-biosecurity-expert-taskforce-final-report" target="_blank">Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce</a>, calls for tighter biosecurity at UK borders as well as the appointment of a chief plant health officer similar in responsibility to the government's chief vet.</p>
<p>Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: "We are already working on implementing a plant health risk register and are putting plans in place to predict and control the spread of tree diseases.</p>
<p>"Everyone’s got a role to play in this. I’m going to hold a summit with all the main people, groups and businesses who have an interest in our trees. We’re going to work together to make sure we protect our woodlands."</p>
<p>The report comes after diseases such as ash dieback and pests such as caterpillars of the oak processionary moth cause damage and concern - with a helicopter even taking to the skies to spray the caterpillars.</p>
<p>The taskforce report recommends are that the government should:</p>
<p>- Develop a UK Plant Health Risk Register;</p>
<p>- Appoint a chief plant health officer to look after the Plant Health Risk Register;</p>
<p>- Develop and implement procedures to predict, monitor, and control the spread of pests and diseases;</p>
<p>- Review, simplify, and strengthen governance and legislation;</p>
<p>- Improve the use of intelligence from EU/other regions and work to improve the EU regulations concerned with tree health and plant biosecurity;</p>
<p>- Strengthen biosecurity to reduce risks at the border and within the UK;</p>
<p>- Develop a modern, user-friendly system to provide quick and intelligent access to data about tree health and plant biosecurity;</p>
<p>- Address key skills shortages.</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara" target="_blank">Chalara dieback of ash (Chalara fraxinea)</a></p>
</div>Ash Dieback - The UK Plant Sciences Federation websitehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/ash-dieback-the-uk-plant-sciences-federation-website2013-03-06T11:30:00.000Z2013-03-06T11:30:00.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a href="http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/plant-sci-bilogo-vertical2.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/plant-sci-bilogo-vertical2.png" class="align-right" /></a>The UK Plant Sciences Federation is a special interest group of the <a title="Society of Biology" href="http://http//www.societyofbiology.org" target="_blank">Society of Biology</a> that brings together the breadth of UK plant sciences to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increase the understanding of the significance of plant science amongst government, funders, industry and society in general.</li>
<li>Formulate a coordinated strategy and vision for plant science in the UK that can be utilised to inform policy.</li>
<li>Help to improve the general funding environment for UK plant and science research and education.</li>
<li>Create a forum for debate that is independent and inclusive.</li>
<li>Provide a focus and contact point for UK plant science.</li>
<li>Support efforts to inspire, educate and train the next generation of plant scientists.</li>
</ul>
<p>More information about Ash Dieback can be found via here: <strong><a href="http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/</a></strong></p>
<p>The UK Plant Sciences Federation operates with financial support from the <a title="Society of Experimental Biology" href="http://www.sebiology.org/" target="_blank">Society for Experimental Biology</a> and <a title="Gatsby Charitable Foundation" href="http://www.gatsby.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Gatsby Charitable Foundation</a>.</p>
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