Trees in Suffolk’s forests could be damaged by eight-toothed spruce bark beetle says Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is calling for woodland managers and landowners to remain vigilant after beetles were spotted on trees in East Anglia.
Also called Ips typographus, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle was found on a Norway spruce.
The pests prefer stressed or dying trees but can attack healthy ones, meaning they have the potential to cause significant damage to the forestry and timber industries.
Andrea Deoi, Forestry Commission spokesperson, said: “Following a report of Ips typographus to the Forestry Commission in East Anglia we conducted a swift investigation including rapid eradication measures, alongside wider environment surveillance to determine the scale of the issue and identify additional suitable management actions.
“All landowners, managers and timber processors should remain vigilant for Ips typographus. It is important for landowners to continue to check the health of spruce trees on their land, this is particularly important now we are entering the next flight season.”
The Forestry Commission describe the beetle as a serious pest of spruce trees in Europe, it was first identified in the UK in Kent, in 2018.
It will continue to robustly manage the pest with the aim of preventing its establishment within Great Britain.
Any suspected findings of the beetle can be reported using the online portal TreeAlert.
From next Wednesday, requirements will come into force across an extended, larger demarcated area in the South East of England and East Anglia to prevent potential spread of the pest, in line with the eradication action taken by the Forestry Commission to manage outbreaks.
The existing demarcated area, last extended in 2022, covers parts of Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, City of London, Greater London, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Essex and Hampshire.
The extended zone will now cover parts of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
Demarcation is the act of creating a boundary around a place, to protect a habitat.
