A deadly tree disease, a wood-eating beetle and climate change are among looming threats to Britain’s trees, the National Trust has warned.
The charity said ‘dramatic changes’ will be seen in the countryside as trees are increasingly ravaged by pests and weather.
The fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum will cause the destruction of thousands upon thousands of larch forests, affecting landscapes as iconic as Lake District woodlands.
The trust estimates 95 per cent of foresters’ time in the Lakes this year will be spent tackling the disease.
A deadly tree disease, a wood-eating beetle and climate change are among looming threats to Britain’s trees, the National Trust has warned
According to the charity, climate change has created ideal conditions for pests and diseases to thrive in warmer and wetter seasons. And trees’ natural defences are more likely to be undermined from drought, flooding and high temperatures they face on a more regular basis.
The conservation group said: ‘This could mean dramatic changes to the British countryside as the populations of some species decline.’ It warned an outbreak of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle in the South East, leading to restrictions on movement of trees and tree products in places, could be devastating to spruce plantations in the North.
And the charity expects to spend £3million in coming months to tackle ash dieback fungus – triple that spent last year – with between 75 per cent and 95 per cent of ash trees to be lost in the next 20 to 30 years.
The charity stated that warmer and wetter winters due to climate change create ideal conditions for pests and diseases to thrive.
Trees’ natural defences are more likely to be undermined from drought, flooding and high temperatures they face on a more regular basis
The threat to native trees is increasing due to storms. Last month, thousands were felled by Storm Arwen.
According to the trust, it is expensive to clean up fallen trees. Many are also almost destroyed by disease. National Trust asks for donations to Plant A Tree to plant resilient species in the National Trust’s woodlands to combat climate change.
The goal is to plant 20 million trees by 2030, which will help to limit global warming at 1.5c and increase biodiversity.