Find out when and how to report a notifiable tree pest or disease in the UK, and information on services such as Tree Alert, TreeCheck and Observatree.
Understand which tree pests or diseases are notifiable
Some tree pests and diseases are notifiable, which means that, in England, they must be reported to the Forestry Commission or the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Notifiable tree pests and diseases are the ones that have the potential to cause the greatest damage to our trees, woods and forests.Seethedownloadablematrix(PDF,201KB,2pages)tofindoutwhichonesarenotifiable.Thematrixalsoincludesaquickguidetohoweachpestanddiseaseisspread,andwhetherdisinfectantshouldbeusedafterworkingwithaffectedmaterial.
Anyone can report a notifiable pest or disease. Reports from the public are valuable. They supplement the Forestry Commission’s annual surveys.
The preferred way to make a report is with Tree Alert, the online pest and disease reporting tool. Note that Tree Alert requires you to upload good quality photographs.
You can use Tree Alert to report suspected pests and diseases found anywhere in the UK. Reports from Scotland and Wales will be passed to Scottish Forestry and Natural Resources Wales for follow-up.
Report suspected cases in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Forest Service using TreeCheck, the all-Ireland pest and disease reporting tool.
Note that reports of tree pests and diseases in trade locations, such as nurseries, should be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
What to expect if you make a report
The report will be acknowledged and you may be contacted again if further detail is required. If a notifiable pest or disease is confirmed, the Forestry Commission’s response will be one of the following:
plot the location so it can inform local tree and woodland managers of its presence, and advise them how best to manage it
take action to prevent or minimise spread of the pest or disease to other areas
take action to eradicate the pest or disease before it can become established and spread
your telephone number and the times we can contact you
the name of the suspected plant pest or disease, if you know it
the type of plant that’s affected
the plant’s location, for example, nursery, woodland, private garden, commercial premises
whether the plant has been recently planted or moved
whether other plants in the location have been affected
if the report relates to an insect, whether it is dead or alive and whether you’ve captured it
relevant photographs
Get involved in monitoring tree health
Visit Observatree if you would like more information about monitoring the health of the UK’s trees. You can only join Observatree if you’re selected to do so but you’ll find a range of helpful resources available on their website.