Tree disease Phytophthora ramorum, which has caused the early felling of about two million Japanese larch trees in the UK, has now been found infecting the European larch species for the first time.
The Forestry Commission’s research agency confirmed the infection in a European larch tree in woodland near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, where infected Japanese larch are also present.
“Although it is bad news that this lethal pathogen has proved able to infect yet another tree species, it was not entirely unexpected, given the physiological similarities between European and Japanese larch,” said Ben Jones, the Forestry Commission’s operations manager.
He said it was too soon to know how susceptible European larch was to the disease.
Larch woodland extends to about 134,000ha in the UK, equivalent to about 5% of the total woodland areas. Japanese larch is the most popular with the timber industry because of its superior wood properties.
