Sweet chestnut blight found in Devon woodlands
The Forestry Commission has confirmed the presence of sweet chestnut blight on several trees in Deven, following previous sightings in southern and central England.
Sweet chestnut blight is a destructive disease of the sweet chestnut tree, caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, but it can also harm other plant species.
The disease has almost wiped out sweet chestnut trees in North America and has caused regionally significant losses across Europe.
Andrea Deol, Head of Plant Health Forestry at the Forestry Commission, said:
“Sweet Chestnut Blight has been confirmed on multiple sweet chestnut trees at woodlands in Devon. The disease poses no risk to people or animals.
“Further surveillance is being conducted to determine the scale of this outbreak.
“We encourage the public to remain vigilant for signs of this tree disease and to report any suspected findings using our online portal TreeAlert or to their Plant Health Inspector.”
Identification & reporting
The problematic fungus attacks the bark of the European sweet chestnut, entering through fissures or wounds.
On grafted trees, infections are most commonly found in the region of the graft, whereas in coppices and orchards, they are often located at the bottom of the stem.
Officials are asking the public and relevant industry workers to look out for common symptoms and report any sightings through TreeAlert (Great Britain) or TreeCheck (Northern Ireland).
If you trade plants in England or Wales and find sweet chestnut blight on site, please contact your local Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) plant health and seeds inspector, email planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk, or telephone 0300 1000 313.
UK situation
Sweet chestnut blight was first confirmed in the UK at a nut orchard in Warwickshire in 2011, affecting around half of 300 trees imported from France a few years prior.
After a second outbreak at a nut orchard in East Sussex, where trees had been received from the same supplier in France, all other UK orders from the exporter were traced and infected trees destroyed.
The disease reappeared in 2016, with restrictions on moving sweet chestnut material brought in across Devon and Dorset, and there have been a few more outbreaks since.
All affected trees have been eradicated, except for some kept to aid further research on managing the disease, and officials continue to address the disease through tracing work and surveillance activities.
Evidence from other parts of Europe suggests that sweet chestnut blight can become less virulent over time, allowing infected plants to recover, but the situation in North America shows this is not always the case.
