Wednesday 30 January 2013

LWEC new funding for tree health


The Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) Partnership will shortly be announcing on its website (www.lwec.org.uk) a new initiative to fund research into tree pests and pathogens, and associated plant biosecurity. 

At least £6.5M will be available for research projects. Trees make a huge impact on our rural and urban landscapes and contribute to a vital part of our heritage, rural economy and well-being. In the last few years, several new pests and pathogens have emerged as significant risks to the UK’s woodlands, commercial forests and urban trees. The outbreak of ash dieback at the end of 2012 illustrates how rapidly new diseases can take hold, and the scale of the threat they can pose to trees. This new initiative will require collaboration between specialists in tree or forest research, and leading-edge scientists from the wider natural, biological, social, economic or other relevant research communities who have other, broader expertise that could help to advance our knowledge about tree health and disease.  

There will be a Town Meeting in London on 14 February where LWEC will be providing more information.  This meeting will also provide an opportunity for researchers who do not currently work on tree health but who have expertise which may be relevant to this area to meet potential collaborative partners, and learn more about current research in this area. 

The Town Meeting is free of charge to attend but please email tree.health@bbsrc.ac.uk to reserve a place.