A temporary halt on issuing licences to fell larch has been introduced by Forestry Commission Wales until the end of May 2011 as part of the ongoing fight against the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum).
This will allow infected larch to be identified in the spring when they have flushed with new needles as, once needles have dropped in the autumn, it is difficult to confirm if a stand is infected.
Rachel Chamberlain, Grants and Regulations Operations Manager, Forestry Commission Wales, said, “Having considered several options, we decided to adopt a short-term approach to dealing with applications for a felling licence, where larch species are a component, during the winter months.
“This approach will enable us to establish whether the standing timber is infected with Phytophthora ramorum, and avoid the risk of the unintentional spread of this serious tree disease.
“If infected trees were to be felled unknowingly, infected material could circumvent biosecurity measures and undermine the controls that have been put in place to try to limit the impact of this outbreak.
“We are hoping to return to normal administration of felling licences involving larch next spring – the exact date will depend on the timing of needle flush but is expected to be no later than the beginning of June.”
From now until the end of May, all applicants for a felling licence from Forestry Commission Wales will be advised that the usual processing times for applications has been extended until 31 May 2011.
Applications will continue to be accepted and registered in the usual way and, in the spring, Forestry Commission Wales staff will visit the site and establish whether the standing timber is infected with P. ramorum.
If it proves to be uninfected, a felling licence will be issued as soon as possible.
If the standing timber shows symptoms of infection, a Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN) will be issued for the trees to be felled within a specified timescale. This will also require that any harvested produce may only be transported to premises licensed to receive infected material.
Applications for felling approval for larch through the Better Woodlands for Wales scheme will not be approved this winter.
Kath McNulty, National Manager for Wales, Confederation of Forest Industries (ConFor), said, “These measures are hard for woodland owners and I hope they won’t cause too much distress.
“ConFor supports biosecurity measures to try and reduce the spread of this disease and is lobbying government to take further steps to support the forest industry.”
The approach in Wales follows the introduction of a joint Forestry Commission England and Forestry Commission Wales policy in connection with the processing of felling licence applications for larch over the winter months. See the information note on the Forestry Commission Wales website for more details www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-85TDX6.
P. ramorum is a fungus-like pathogen that kills many of the trees that it infects. It was first discovered on Japanese larch trees in Great Britain in 2009 in South West England. It was then found on larch in public woodlands in South Wales in June 2010. Further information about P. ramorum can be found on the Forestry Commission’s website at www.forestry.gov.uk/pramorum.
