Research hub to get £4m to tackle tree pest threat

The Emerald ash borer is a known threat that is not yet in the UK

A forest research centre in Surrey will receive £4m from the government to help tackle pests and pathogens threatening trees across the country.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the funding would pay for a research and containment facility at Forest Research's Alice Holt Research Station in Farnham.

This will almost double the capacity of the existing Holt laboratory and boost its ability to study tree disease-spreading beetles.

Forestry Commission chairman Sir William Worsley said it was "vital" as new tree health outbreaks were "a threat to our nation’s trees".

Future threats

Forest Research said there were 2,350 tree pests and diseases reported through its Tree Alert service between April 2023 and March 2024.

Climate change is causing a rise in the number of pests seen in recent years and Defra said by assessing pests and pathogens in a contained laboratory, scientists would be able to study them in a safe and controlled manner using cutting-edge technology and equipment.

The laboratory will also help prepare for known threats which are not yet in the UK.

This includes the Emerald ash borer - an exotic green beetle from Asia which causes significant damage to ash trees in North America.

Biosecurity minister Lord Douglas-Miller said he was committed to making sure trees and woodlands were "resilient to fight climate change".

The funding is part of government action towards its five-year plant biosecurity strategy, which aims to protect the country’s plants from risks posed by pests and pathogens.