Phytophthora at Long Wood

The presence of Phytophthora has been confirmed at Long Wood by Natural Resources Wales.
Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum) is a fungus-like pathogen that causes extensive damage and kills a wide range of trees and other plants.
Larch trees are particularly susceptible and large numbers have been affected countrywide.
It is the most serious tree disease to have affected forests in Wales and has a very serious economic, social and environmental impacts.
Where outbreaks of P ramorum infection are identified, the trees must be felled to remove the living tissue on which the pathogen lives and spreads its spores. NRW issues a Statutory Plant Health Notice to the owners of the diseased trees.
In this case NRW has prescribed the felling of an area of Larch within Olwen Wood. Unfortunately, it is likely that over time, subsequent felling orders will likely follow for more of Olwen Wood due to the infectious nature of the disease.
Fortunately, the prescriptions for felling orders have changed and we are no longer bound to immediately fell the infected area, we now are given a window of 3 years to undertake the all of the felling, allowing us to plan and stagger these undertakings in order to reduce the visual, ecological and recreational impacts. Some felling will commence this autumn. Notification of dates will be sent out in due course.