Acute oak decline - severe stem symptoms (Crown copyright courtesy of Forest Research)

A KILLER disease has been confirmed in oak trees in Hoddesdon Park Wood and is suspected in five more sites nationwide. The virulent disease – Acute oak decline (AOD) – is killing oak trees and threatens to alter the British landscape even more than Dutch elm disease, woodland groups have warned, as they called for more funding to tackle the problem.

The bacterial infection, which shows as black bleeding on the trunk and stems, can cause trees to suffer rapid dieback and death within three to five years, experts say.

The disease is hitting both pedunculate and sessile oaks the native two species.

John Jackson of the Royal Forestry Society, who organised a crisis summit on the malady, said: “This has brought to a head considerable unease about the lack of engagement with this very real threat. Urgent action is not an option – it’s a necessity.”

Woodland charities and commercial forestry groups are calling for £10 million over the next five years to investigate tree diseases - with acute oak decline a priority for research.

Hilary Allison, policy director at the Woodland Trust, said: “The impact of the loss of an iconic tree both from our countryside and from towns would be catastrophic and therefore has the capacity to be a major threat to the UK’s oak woods, both ancient and secondary.”

The groups supporting the call for the incoming government to allocate more funds to Forest Research to investigate tree diseases include the Royal Forestry Society, the Woodland Trust, Woodland Heritage, the Tree Council, Institute of Chartered Foresters, Arboricultural Association, Confederation of Forest Industries and the Country Land and Business Association.