Guidance to manage tree pests and diseases

The Forestry Commission, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency provide guidance on preventing and managing tree pests and diseases in the UK (page updated 26 September 2025).

• Main action: The guidance explains prevention, reporting and management routes including TreeAlert for reporting suspected pests/diseases, and references key strategy documents: England tree health management plan, England tree health resilience strategy, and the plant biosecurity strategy for Great Britain. It lists transmission pathways (movements of plants/wood, wind/water, contaminated vehicles/equipment) and links to UK plant health resources and registers.
• Funding and targeted measures: The page details funding schemes and pilots: the tree health pilot (grants for larch with Phytophthora ramorum; spruce with or at risk of Ips typographus; sweet chestnut with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight; oak with oak processionary moth; ash with ash dieback) and the Woodland tree health grant (part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme) with restoration and improvement grant types; updates to the page and scheme links were made on 26 September 2025.