Dutch elm campaign
The Isle of Man has launched a ‘See It. Snap it. Send it.’ campaign to tackle Dutch elm disease. The fungal disease reached the island in the 1990s, but local vigilance and control measures mean that only 1 per cent of its English elms have been affected. Now islanders are being urged to use their mobile phones to take pictures of any elm trees affected by wilting leaves and shoots or premature yellowing. Mainland Britain has few old English elms after the 1970s epidemic. The Isle of Man is not only destroying diseased trees but also planting disease-resistant elms. David Cretney of the Dept of Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: “The Isle of Man has arguably the most important native elm population in the British Isles.” Email photos taken on the Isle of Man to: DutchElmDisease. DEFA@gov.im