2nd March 2012
Moorland Association members to cease crucial Juniper planting programmes until source of disease is traced.
Phytopthera austrocedrus has recently been confirmed as present in Britain. It is a fungus infection that is usually fatal to infected trees and plants and is a notifiable disease requiring biosecurity measures. It has been confirmed in juniper bushes in the Moor House – Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve in Cumbria and County Durham managed by Natural England. This is the second largest Juniper site in Britain.
The Forestry Commission and FERA are working together with the landowners to contain and minimise the damage to this nationally important population and have asked for all Juniper planting programmes to cease until the source of the outbreak is known. Any saplings planted in recent months should also be monitored for signs of the disease.
Phytopthera can spread to bilberry – a common moorland plant- spreading of the disease could bring further devastation to designated landscapes and threatened species typically found to thrive on grouse moors.
Ancient Juniper, whose berries give gin its distinctive taste, was one of the first plants to colonise the landscape after the last Ice Age and is in serious decline. In the United Kingdom’s most southerly counties between 60-70% of their juniper population has been lost. In Northern England, 43% of juniper was lost in County Durham alone in the period 1987-1999. In addition, Juniper supports more than 40 other species of insect and fungus that cannot survive without it. Juniper is one of only three conifer species native to Britain, the other being Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and common yew (Taxus baccata). There are only 401 Ha of Juniper in Britain with 99Ha in England and none in Wales.
To help save Juniper from extinction, Moorland Association’s members have been very proactive in setting aside suitable moorland across Northern England. It involves fencing off areas to keep rabbits and sheep off the tender Juniper saplings and undertaking weed control to give the trees the best start. The trees are very sensitive to fire and so traditional heather burning is also kept well away from the sites.
The public can help curtail the spread of the disease by avoiding areas of juniper and sticking to advice posted by landowners. Any sightings of die back which could be due to infection in the plants should be reported to Fera’s Plant Health & Seeds Inspectorate on: 01904 465625; email: planthealth.info@fera.gsi.gov.uk; web: www.defra.gov.uk/fera/plants/plantHealth
