Working together to private bodies and NGOs; forestry, arboriculture, landscaping and horticulture sectors; from policy and The broad range of conference research to delivery. delegates was quite unique. It highlighted our united interest in tackling these threats and the need to work together to minimise their impact, using the collective range of tools available e.g. regulations, procurement, biosecurity, education and advice. Knowledge The conference highlighted the need to understand how pests and diseases differ in their biology, and that operating context affects our response. This knowledge helps us prevent introduction or spread of pests and diseases, and helps us minimise the impact they have, by planning and implementing appropriate controls / responses. Key conference messages and discussions Practical response The ‘Keep it Clean’ campaign encourages The conference provided practical advice everyone to help reduce the risk of pest and on what we can all do. To prevent disease transmission. introduction of pests and diseases there are international controls and inspections to intercept risks. We can apply citizen Reports of suspected tree health sightings should science, reporting through Tree Alert, be sent to Tree Alert for further investigation. biosecurity and asking questions when procuring trees. Where a threat has been found, early and robust responses significantly increase the chance of preventing major spread and impact. Building resilience At RBG Kew, a fantastic specimen of Aesculus Whilst we can reduce risks, we have to indica ‘Sydney Pearce’ (1935) – an example of a be realistic and tackle the issue through potential alternative species that doesn’t suffer increased resilience. This includes the from Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner use of a range of tree species suited to the site and are able to cope with expected future climatic conditions; implementing good practice so trees remain healthy and can best cope with threats; and building a tree resource for future generations to enjoy. Acknowledgements Many thanks go to everyone involved in organising and attending the conference.
Working together The broad range of conference delegates was quite unique. It highlighted our united interest in tackling these threats and the need to work together to minimise their impact, using the collective range of tools available e.g. regulations, procurement, biosecurity, education and advice. to private bodies and NGOs; forestry, arboriculture, landscaping and horticulture sectors; from policy and research to delivery. Knowledge The conference highlighted the need to understand how pests and diseases differ in their biology, and that operating context affects our response. This knowledge helps us prevent introduction or spread of pests and diseases, and helps us minimise the impact they have, by planning and implementing appropriate controls / responses. Key conference messages and discussions The ‘Keep it Clean’ campaign encourages everyone to help reduce the risk of pest and disease transmission. Reports of suspected tree health sightings should be sent to Tree Alert for further investigation. Practical response The conference provided practical advice on what we can all do. To prevent introduction of pests and diseases there are international controls and inspections to intercept risks. We can apply citizen science, reporting through Tree Alert, biosecurity and asking questions when procuring trees. Where a threat has been found, early and robust responses significantly increase the chance of preventing major spread and impact. Building resilience Whilst we can reduce risks, we have to be realistic and tackle the issue through increased resilience. This includes the use of a range of tree species suited to the site and are able to cope with expected future climatic conditions; implementing good practice so trees remain healthy and can best cope with threats; and building a tree resource for future generations to enjoy. At RBG Kew, a fantastic specimen of Aesculus indica ‘Sydney Pearce’ (1935) – an example of a potential alternative species that doesn’t suffer from Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Acknowledgements Many thanks go to everyone involved in organising and attending the conference.
WISLEYTREEHEALTHCONFERENCESUMMARY1.docx