A  Week  of  Tree  Disease  and  Ecology  July  17th  2016  

Life  in  Kettering    (feel  free  to  skip  this  part  if  you’re  more  interested  in  the  forestry/work  aspects  of  my  exchange!)    

My  second  week  at  Lockhart  Garratt  was  interesting!  I  got  to  participate  in  a  variety  of   client   site   visits,   get   some   research   done   on   tree   pests   and   diseases,   participated   in   a  charity  game  of  Rounders  and  my  first  hog  roast,  and  get  out  with  the  Ecology  BU.  I’ve  been  settling  into  my  place  with  Vicki  (marketing  coordinator  at  LG  and  my  housemate),  and  we  get   on   really  well.   I   finally   got   out   and   got   a   bunch   of   ‘basic’   grocery   things,   like   cans   of  baked   beans   (a   necessity   for   the   delicious   dish   of   baked   beans   on   toast!),   pasta,   spices,  frozen  peas,  and  chicken  kievs  (chicken  breast  stuffed  with  butter,  garlic,  and  herbs,  coated  in   breadcrumbs).   It  was   a   decent   shop,   and   totalled   to   less   than   expected.   If   you   can   get  around  to  some  of  the  bargain  shops  for  cans  of  soup  or  beans  or  tomatoes  for  Bolognese,  you  can  save  heaps  –  think  I  picked  up  3  full  sized  cans  of  bakes  beans  for  a  quid  (slang  for  a  pound,  like  buck  is  for  dollar).  Overall  groceries  are  cheaper  here  than  at  home  –  my  very  first  shop  here  I  picked  up  loads  of  fruit  and  veg  at  Morrison’s  and  was  expecting  it  to  come  back  at  like  £30,  but  it  only  totally  to  £18.  Morrison’s  is  a  pretty  decent  shop  for  fruit  and  veg  –  cheap  but  still  good  quality  foods.  Tesco  is  definitely  more  experience  –  I  ran  into  one  quick  for  milk,  butter,  and  some  lunch  meat  and  it  cost  me  £7  –  considerably  more  than  it  would  have  at  Morrison’s  or  ASDA.         Anyways,  because  of  the  in-­‐field  component  of  my  placement  at  Lockhart  Garratt,  I  need  to  be  able  to  get  myself  places  on  my  own  (also,  Vicki  has  holidays  when  I  don’t  so  I  need   to   sort   out   a  way   to  work   for   that  week).   As   a   Canadian  with   a   full   G   licence,   I   am  allowed  to  drive   in  the  UK  for  up  to  12  months  without  switching  my  licence  over  –  once  you   are   in   the   country   for   over   12  months   and   driving,   you   have   to   start   the   process   of  switching   over   to   a   UK   driving   licence   (and   your   Canadian   licence   gets   sent   back   to   the  issuing   authority   back   home).   The   only   issue   is   that   most   cars   here   are   manual,   not  automatic  and  I  have  no  experience  driving  a  standard  vehicle!  Not  to  mention  everything  is  on  the  other  side!  It  was  discussed  by  the  company  to  buy  a  vehicle  for  me  to  use  during  my  placement,  but  Vicki  convinced  them  to  just  let  me  use  her  car,  and  I  could  get  insured  as  a  secondary  driver  for  when  I  need  it.  That  would  save  the  company  some  money.  When  Vicki  called  to  get  the  insurance  sorted,  because  I  had  only  been  in  the  UK  for  about  3  week  at  this  time,   the   insurance  was  going  to  cost  a  ridiculous  £7500  for  3  months!!  That’s  more  than  the  bursary   I   get   for   this   entire  placement,   so   that  was   ruled  out!   It’s   a   really   good   thing  they  didn’t  buy  a  car  specifically  for  me  to  use!!!  We  called  a  few  car  rental  places  and  found  Sprint  Hire  –  and  they  would  rent  Lockhart  Garratt  a  vehicle  as  we  need  it  for  about  £20  a  day  or  £145  a  week  –  we  have  yet  to  ask  about  hiring  an  automatic  vehicle  though,  as  it  will  make  it  way  easier  on  my  end  getting  used  to  driving  on  the  opposite  side  and  figuring  out  how  to  properly  use  a  roundabout  and   finding  my  way  around  (roundabouts  can  be  very  confusing!).  I  have  yet  to  need  to  drive  myself  anywhere,  which  is  good,  but  Vicki’s  holidays  are  coming  up  in  the  next  few  weeks  so  I  will  be  driving  to  work  every  day  on  my  own.  A  little  scary  but  Vicki   says  she  will   take  me  out  and  we  can  drive   to  and   from  work   in   the  evening  and  drive  around  together.        

Rounders  and  Hog  Roast       Rounders  is  strange  –  it  is  sort  of  the  same  concept  of  baseball,  where  a  pitcher  (or  bowler)  throw  the  ball  to  a  batter,  and  the  batter  runs  around  bases  (or  posts)  –  but  its  also  very   different.   For   starters,   the   playing   field   is  much   smaller.   There   are   only   about   10m  between  the  posts  (or  bases).  The  bat  is  also  smaller  –  much  much  smaller  –  probably  about  a  third  of  the  size.  And  the  ball  is  ALSO  smaller  (the  game  in  general  is  smaller!).  You  also  have  to  keep  the  bat  with  you  when  you  run,  and  use  it  to  touch  ‘safe’  at  each  of  the  posts.  You  get  a  rounder  (or  point)  if  you  hit  a  home  run  –  and  you  get  a  half  rounder  if  you  make  it   to   the   second  post  on  your  hit   (I   think   there  are  more  point   rules  but   that’s  as   far  as   I  understand!).  If  you  hit  and  only  make  it  to  the  first  post,  you  don’t  get  any  points,  even  if  you  get  sent  all  the  way  around  the  bases  to  home  by  other  players.  Also  in  rounders,  once  you  are  ‘out’  (by  either  the  ball  being  caught,  the  ball  being  touched  to  a  post  before  you  get  there,  or  dropping  the  bat  before  running  (I  may  or  may  not  have  dropped  the  bat  my  first  time  batting,  and  I  may  or  may  not  have  ran  back  yelling  “I  PLEAD  CANADIAN”,  grabbing  the   bat   and   running   to   first   post   (luckily   the   ref   was   nice   and   let   me   get   away   with   it  haha))),  you  are  out  for  good.  Only  the  players  that  remain  in  the  game  keep  on  batting,  and  the  inning  is  over  when  either  A)  all  the  team  members  are  out,  or  B)  when  15  minutes  is  up.   Needless   to   say,   our   team   of   foresters,   ecologists,   support   team   members,  arboriculturists,  and  landscapers  attended  more  for  the  fun  of  a  charity  event,  as  oppose  to  the   seriousness  of   the   rounders   tournament  –  and   it   showed!  We  were  pretty  awful!  Not  only  did  we  not  have  enough  team  members,  half  of  us  didn’t  know  how  to  play!  We  still  had  a  grand  time  though,  and  finished  the  evening  off  with  a  hog  roast.  It  was  quite  good,  but  I  still  can’t  get  over  the  whole  applesauce  with  pork  thing.  It  just  doesn’t  seem  right.      

 My  lovely  drawing  of  a  Rounders  playing  field  –  it  isn’t  even  a  proper  shape!    

 Tree  Disease    

I  have  been  doing  considerable  research  on  Chalara  ash  dieback.  It  is  a  huge  concern  here   in   the   UK,   similar   to   the   impacts   of   Emerald   ash   borer   in   Ontario.   I   am   presently  working  on  a  tree  disease  article,  which  I  will  hopefully  get  posted  in  the  next  little  while.  I  have  been  actively  working  on  a  summary  to  be  used  by  the  forestry  BU  and  distributed  to  woodland   owners   to   provide   them   with   some   basic   information   about   the   effects,  description,  symptoms,  and  mitigation  efforts  of   the  top  2  most  common  tree  pests  and  5  most  common  tree  diseases.  I  just  finished  my  second  version,  and  hopefully  I  will  be  able  to   provide   that   on   my   blog   as   well.   I   have   also   downloaded   an   App   for   iPhone   called  “AshTag”  that  was  developed  by  Adapt  and  the  University  of  East  Anglia   in  2012,  and  the  ownership   was   later   transferred   to   the   Sylva   Foundation   (@SylvaFoundation).   This   App  allows   users   to   request   (for   free)   a   tagging   kit   to   physically   tag   ash   trees   that   are   either  affected  by  ash  dieback  or  appear  to  be  resistant  to  infection,  and  follow  the  trees  progress  in  infection  or  resistance.  Photos  can  be  uploaded  to  the  App  and  the  ash  tree  can  be  geo-­‐referenced.  This   information   is   shared  with   the  Forestry  Commission,   and   the  Living  Ash  Project.  The  Living  Ash  Project  aims   to   identify  ash   trees   that  are   tolerant   to  Chalara  ash  dieback,  and  use  these  individuals  to  create  a  breeding  program  of  Chalara  tolerant  ash,  to  secure   the   future   of   ash   within   the   UK.   This   requires   the   identification   of   over   400  individuals   though,   to   ensure   the   genetic   diversity   of   progeny   remains   high.   Low   genetic  diversity   (the   interbreeding   of   only   a   few   individuals   and   therefore   a   small   gene   pool)  means  that  the  trees  will  be  more  susceptible  to  the   infestation  of  many  other  pathogens.  The  App  is  super  easy  to  use,  and  all  data  submitted  helps  to  secure  the  future  of  the  UK’s  ash.    

   

 Characteristic  dieback  in  an  ash  caused  by  Chalara  

 

           Screenshot   from   the  AahTag   app   that   allows   you  to   report   ash   trees   that   may   be   infected   by  Chalara,  or  trees  that  may  be  resistant  –  this  is  my  first  reported  ash  using  the  app!                        

 Saltby  Estate  and  Plantation  Maintenance  

 My  first  AshTag  submission  was  while  on  at  a  site  visit  in  Saltby.  I  went  out  with  my  

line  manager  to  inspect  some  plantations.  The  trees  were  planted  mainly  for  aesthetics,  to  connect   pre-­‐existing   woodlands,   and   to   create   windbreaks   throughout   the   property.  We  found   a   tree   with   characteristic   ash   dieback   on   one   of   the   branches.   Cheryl   and   I   went  through  how  to  use  the  App,  as  she  has  never  used  it  before  either,  and  we  submitted  our  find.  While   on   site,   we   also   discussed   some   of   the   procedures   and   issues  with   the   post-­‐planting  maintenance.  The  trees  are  planted  in  distinct  rows,  and  the  bases  of  the  trees  are  to  be  sprayed  with  herbicide  (glyphosate)  to  reduce  competition  of  resources.  The  trees  are  protected  with  a  type  of  guard  that  ranges  in  height  depending  on  the  threats.  These  guards  protect  the  trees  against  being  sprayed  by  the  herbicide,  but  also  protect  against  grazing  by  various   deer   species,   rabbits,   and   damage   by   voles.   Often,   the   guards   are   made   of  biodegradable  plastic  tubing  that  is  either  perforated  or  spiralled,  which  enables  it  to  fall  off  when  the  tree  reaches  a  certain  size.  Another   issue  that   is   faced  on  plantation  sites   is   the  cracking  of  the  topsoil  during  planting.  This  cracking  is  often  ignored  and  filled  in,  but  when  the   ground   dries,   the   crack   reforms   and   creates   pathways   for   voles   between   trees.   The  herbicide  removes  ground  cover  for  voles  (making  them  an  easy  target  for  predators  when  they  are  around  the  trees),  but  the  cracks  give  them  protected  access  to  the  trees.  Voles  can  cause  considerable  damage,  stripping  the  bark  off  roots  and  the  base  of  stems  of  saplings,  resulting  in  the  tree  being  girdled.  Bank  voles  (Myodes  glareolus)  and  field  voles  (Microtus  agrestis)  are  of  most  concern  (with   the   latter  often  causing  more  damage),  as   they  prefer  newly  planted,  young  trees.    

           

 Rows   of   planted   trees   with   plastic   guards   to   protect  against  herbicide  use  in  the  planting  rows,  and  grazing  my  various  mammals.  

       

     

       

 Close  up  of  the  perforated  line  on  the  plastic  tree  guards,  which  allows  the  guard  to  fall  off  when  the  tree  reaches  a  certain  size.  The  plastic  is  biodegradable  as  well.              

   

         

Cracking  in  the  soil  along  the  plantation  line,  providing  a  runway  for  voles  to  access  tree  roots  and  stem  bases  with  some  protection.  These  cracks  also  create  unstable  grounds  for  the  trees  and  they  can  become  uprooted  easily.          

Felling  Licence  Applications      

When   a   landowner   contacts   Lockhart   Garratt   looking   to  manage   their  woodlands,  they  require  a   felling   licence  to  perform  any   felling  that   is  greater   than  5m3   in  a  calendar  quarter.   This   felling   licence   is   a   standard   document   to   be   filled   out,   and   submitted   for  approval  before  any  work  can   take  place  within   the  woodlands.     Information   included  on  this  form  includes  basic  contact  information  of  the  landowner  and  agent  (if  applicable  –  we  are   considered   to   be   the   landowners   agent,   and   therefore   also   need   an   Agent   Authority  Form  to  be  completed  by  the  landowner),  the  name  and  location  of  the  area  where  the  trees  are  to  be  felled,  the  type  of  felling  to  take  place  (clear  fell,  select  fell,  thinning,  regeneration  fell,  coppice  fell,  or  felling  to  create  open  spaces),  the  species  to  be  felled,  estimated  area  to  be  felled,  estimate  volume,  proposed  restocking  prescriptions  (if  applicable),  and  a  map  of  the   area   outlining   the   woodland   compartments.   I   filled   out   my   first   Felling   Licence  Application,  and  although  some  of  the  information  about  the  Estate  was  tricky  to  find,  I  got  it  complete  in  relatively  good  time.  There  are  a  handful  of  cases  when  a  felling  licence  isn’t  needed,  such  as  to  fell  a  tree  in  a  garden,  orchard,  churchyard,  or  designated  open  space,  to  carry  out  lopping,  topping,  pruning,  or  pollarding,  to  fell  less  than  5m3  in  a  calendar  quarter  (but  you  cannot  sell  more  than  2m3  in  a  calendar  quarter),  if  a  tree  is  considered  dangerous  or  a  nuisance,  to  prevent  the  spread  of  pest  or  disease,  or  to  undertake  duties  as  a  statutory  service  provider  (ie.  gas,  water,  electricity).      

Stay  posted  for  my  article  describing  my  ecology  field  work  doing  Phase  1  habitat    surveys,  sunset  bat  surveys,  and  reptile  refugia  replacement  and  surveys!!  

 Follow  me  on  Twitter  (@SarahFrances293)  for  live  updates  of  my    fieldwork  and  projects  at  Lockhart  Garratt,  and  my  experiences    

and  adventures  in  the  UK!  #CanadianInCorby