Acute Oak Decline

Acute Oak Decline (AOD) is caused by a number of factors with bacteria playing an important role. It mainly affects mature oak trees and can kill a tree within a few years of first symptoms. The trees are initially weakened by environmental stressors like extreme weather and pollution. The weakened trees are then more vulnerable to insect infestations and bacterial or fungal infections. Researchers on our BAC-STOP and Future Oak projects are working to identify the bacteria which contribute to Acute Oak Decline and to better understand the disease progression. Hopefully this will lead to better ways to manage the disease.

Find out more about Acute Oak Decline via these resources:

• Lots of information including a factsheet, video and poster from Observatree
• Acute Oak Decline Information and Symptom Guide from Forest Research
• Report suspected sightings to Tree Alert (or Tree Check in Northern Ireland)

Find blog posts and news about Acute Oak Decline on this website