Protecting trees by reducing biosecurity risks
Threats to our trees and plants from exotic pests and disease are increasing due to increased international trade of plant materials, and climate change that is altering their geographical range. Protecting our existing and new trees and woodlands from such biosecurity risks is a key component in ensuring we maintain and enhance the multiple values that our treescape delivers to us.
The UK continues to drive higher international biosecurity standards and, working with industry, considerable progress has already been made to drive up biosecurity standards in the plant nursery sector. For example, the Plant Health Management Standard (PHMS) that is applied through the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme is aimed at improving biosecurity standards across the different sectors and along their supply chains. The ambition is that where possible, both public and private purchases of plants should come from nurseries that apply the Plant Health Management Standard or something equivalent.
Recently, Defra and the Forestry Commission made it a requirement that plant purchases for two major Government grant schemes (the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Future Farming Tree Health Pilot) to purchase trees that meet the PHMS or equivalent. All tree and hedgerow planting grants from these 2 schemes from June 2022 will have a condition that tree and plant suppliers must either be a member of Plant Healthy or seek to gain a successful outcome through the new Ready To Plant (RTP) assessment pilot.
Fera Science Ltd (Fera) are proud to play their role in supporting this new approach to protecting our treescapes from pest and disease as the only organisation asked to manage the Ready To Plant (RTP) assessment element.
