The Arboricultural
Association has launched new guidance to help professionals in all roles within
the tree care industry to apply biosecurity practices during their day to day
work.
The guidance
supports the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ ‘Tree Health
Resilience Strategy’ released in May 2018.
The strategy’s
National Action Plan called for organisations in the environmental sector to “Take a leading role in international efforts to
strengthen biosecurity and build resilience. Facilitate information sharing and
work collaboratively to ensure those involved in tree health are aware of risks
and know what to do to reduce them.”
The new ‘Application
of Biosecurity in Arboriculture’ Guidance Note is now available in digital and
print formats.
The document
provides detailed best practice guidance for Arborists working in any role in
arboriculture and environmental sectors, with a helpful document key indicating
which sections are directly relevant to each job role.
The publication was
developed by principal authors Simon Cox and James Roberts, with valuable
assistance from a host of members and supporting organisations including
Forestry Commission England and the Trees and Design Action Group.
By releasing the
free to download Guidance Note, the Association aims to better equip
professionals with the knowledge and tools to tackle biosecurity by providing
information that will assist in efforts to prevent a pest or pathogen outbreak
which results in the accelerated mortality and loss of large numbers of trees.
The Arboricultural Association launched a ‘Biosecurity in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry’
position statement in late 2016 outlining basic biosecurity principles which
should be adopted to reduce the unwanted introduction of tree pests and
diseases.
Since then the
professional body for the tree care industry has developed free templates for
Company Biosecurity policies and biosecurity risk assessments, while working
closely with partner organisations and initiatives such as The Forestry
Commission ‘Keep it Clean’ campaign.
