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With a further 45 hectares set to be felled in Crosskeys and Llanbradach over the coming months, why is Phytophthora ramorum – better known as larch disease – so damaging to the environment?
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has announced that 22 hectares of forestry will be felled at West End, near Crosskeys, over the next nine months, whilst 23 hectares will be cut down in Llanbradach when nesting birds have left the area.
Llanbradach-Work-Areas-Map
What is larch disease?
Phytophthora ramorum, or larch disease, is a fungus-like disease which can cause extensive damage and mortality to wide range of trees and other plants. Its name literally means ‘plant destroyer’ in Latin.
It was first discovered in the United Kingdom in 2002 and tends to thrive in wet environments.
It has been responsible for some of the worst plant disease epidemics in history, including potato blight which led to the disastrous Irish potato famine in the 1800s.
How does it spread and what are the signs?
Larch disease spreads through airborne spores from tree to tree. It poses no threat to human or animal health.
It can spread naturally in wind-blown rain (up to 4 miles) but it is the plant trade that spread this disease across the globe.
Signs a tree is infected with larch disease include:
- Blackened base of the leaf near the stem and along the leaf.
- Withered and blackened leaves or needles leading to dieback of the outer branches.
- Areas of black “bleeding” on the trunk.
- In larch, the disease progresses very quickly so whole trees will be dead within a short period of time.
With the equivalent of 45 rugby pitches set to be flattened, Caerphilly Observer asked NRW what will the space be replaced with, and how will they try to prevent this from happening again.
A NRW spokesperson said: “Once all the diseased larch has been removed, we plan to replant trees in the affected areas. This will include a diverse mix of species to help ensure our woodlands are more resilient to pests and disease in the future.”
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NRW stressed that it is important to act swiftly when it comes to larch disease due to the realistic possibility of thousands more hectares potentially being cut down.
Furthermore, according to the Woodland Trust, 5% of larch forests across Britain have already been lost to the disease.
To report larch disease near, you can click here and contact TreeAlert.
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