I have just seen the news about ‘Sudden Oak Death,’ which is now spreading across the West Country and leaving thousands of trees (not only Oak’s) dead. The reports have been around for a while (including its spread in America) but this is the first time I have heard of it. I love the countryside and ancient forests and despair as our small island disappears under a concrete blanket. So is this yet another disaster to our natural wildlife?
Even more worrying for me is if this spreads to the Midlands it could contaminate Sherwood Forest! I sincerely hope not because I want future generations to experience the magic of walking through those ancient sunlit glades, with just the birdsong as company. Something I intend to do very soon.
So far the report said that that tens of thousands of trees have already been felled to try and prevent the disease from spreading, because it is carried on the wind by tiny spores. Let’s hope it can be stopped before it’s too late!
BBC Report
4 comments:
"Sudden Oak Death"
BBC News
Oh my, this is terrible! I have heard of oak disease but not this. I pray this ends soon or they find a cure before anymore beautiful oaks suffer, especially Sherwood, what a tragic loss indeed!
It was first discovered in California in 1995.
In England since 2009, the Forestry Commission, DEFRA, the Food and Environment Research Agency, Cornwall County Council, and Natural England are working together to record the locations and deal with this disease. Natural England is offering grant funding through its Environmental Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area schemes. Lets hope and pray that they can control it!
Sherwood is safe for now, but our prevailing winds from the south west could soon blow the spores towards us. Lets hope they find a cure for it soon though.
A bigger problem for the oaks is climate change. they get stressed in periods of heat and drought. If the average temperature increases by 2 degrees Celsius in the UK Sherwood could become the southern bastion of oaks with others to the south dying out due to heat stress......
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