‘Keep it clean’ to stop spread of devastating tree disease
Visitors to Rowardennan Forest are being urged to help prevent the spread of a disease affecting trees.
Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) is preparing to carry out some felling and clearance work across seven hectares of the forest to combat an outbreak of Phytophthora ramorum.
The disease kills oak and other species of trees and has had devastating effects on the oak populations in Europe and United States.
Symptoms such as bleeding cankers on the tree’s trunk and dieback of the foliage in many cases eventually lead to the death of the tree.
FES is urging visitors to East Loch Lomond woodland to stick to paths and follow good biosecurity practice outlined in the ‘Keep it Clean’ campaign.
Will Huckerby, for the FES team based in Aberfoyle, said: “Keep it Clean is all about making sure that your boots, wheels, or even your dogs paws are free of mud when you arrive at a new site because the spores that cause this disease can be carried from one site to another in mud or on forest debris. Take time to ‘Keep it Clean’ and help us prevent the further spread of this disease, which can be fatal to larch trees.
“It’s already at Rowardennan so we need to remove affected trees, and nearby trees that are potentially already infected, to try and prevent the disease spreading – and good biosecurity is all part of that preventative process.
“It’s quite a complicated site – we have to negotiate our way round a powerline, a public road, a water main, the Ben Lomond footpath, and a communications line - so will take a bit of planning.
“We’re hoping to start work mid-January but we really need everyone visiting to start being biosecurity conscious now.”
The work will take place in woodland near the Rowardennan Hotel, and adjacent to the Ben Lomond access path, from which the felling area will be visible.