The Forestry Commission (FC) has confirmed that Sweet Chestnut Blight has spread to Devon.
In a statement, the FC says it is conducting further surveillance to determine the scale of the outbreak. It is not endemic to the UK, but Since 2011 it has been found on a few sites in the UK, principally in central and southern England.
The Blight is widespread in mainland Europe and has caused severe problems in North America, where it has almost wiped out the sweet chestnut population.
“Sweet Chestnut Blight has been confirmed on multiple sweet chestnut trees at woodlands in Devon,” said Andrea Deol, Forestry Commission Head of Plant Health Forestry. “The disease poses no risk to people or animals.”
“We encourage the public to remain vigilant for signs of this tree disease and to report any suspected findings using our online portal TreeAlert or to their Plant Health Inspector.”
Sweet Chestnut Blight is caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. The disease is regulated in the UK as a Quarantine Pest, and the FC is obligated to act against the current findings to support maintaining this status. It is not endemic to the UK, although it is now widespread in Europe.
C. parasitica infection is usually fatal to European (Castanea sativa) and North American (C. dentata) sweet chestnut trees.
The FC said European sweet chestnut tree losses to the disease had been regionally significant.
Sweet chestnut woodland is not widely distributed in the UK. Most of it is in England, and it amounts to about 2% of England’s wood cover. Most sweet chestnut woodland is in southern England, so any impact would be mostly regionally and locally felt, the FC added.
Sweet chestnut trees are grown commercially for the timber and nut markets. These industries are small but locally important, particularly in Kent, where chestnut coppicing for the timber industry has been enjoying a revival during the early 21st century.
The timber is popular for use as cladding due to its durability and aesthetics.
