The precise pathology of acute oak decline is still unclear, but the disease correlates with the presence of the bacterium Brenneria goodwinii and larvae of the Agrilus biguttatus beetle. This new research preprint from Bac-Stop and Future Oak explores the …
Many of our projects spend the summer running and collecting data from field trials. Here are some behind the scenes photos of our BAC-STOP team in action. They are collecting information about acute oak decline and the impact of drought …
Crown condition is used to score how healthy trees are. Essentially, the more leaves a tree has, the more energy it can produce and use for growth. We are running training courses this summer, so that you can assess visually …
Can you help? PhD student Helene Kile is researching increasing reports of Tilia (lime) trees with bleeding cankers. If you know of any Tilia trees in the UK showing these symptoms Helene would love to hear from you. Read on …
At the beginning of March our BAC-STOP and Future Oak projects welcomed stakeholders to Shropshire for a joint meeting to share their research into Acute Oak Decline (AOD) and other tree diseases. AOD is a complex multi-factor disease. Bacterial species …
Talking about trees: Oak stakeholder meeting 2023 Read More »
Following on from the popularity of their Brennaria tree diseases factsheets, the BAC-STOP project have created a sister resource focusing on diseases caused by Lonsdalea bacterial species. It covers the oak tree diseases drippy blight, drippy nut and bark canker, …
Huge congratulations to BAC-STOP researcher Gareth Thomas who scooped Best Poster at the recent International Plant Health Conference. Gareth’s poster entitled ‘Using the odour of bacteria to tackle acute oak decline’ beat off competition from across the globe to be …
Researchers on our BAC-STOP project have recently published a long-overdue update to the Disease Decline Spiral Model. It draws from their research on tree decline diseases like Acute Oak Decline (AOD) which don’t have one single cause. Rather they are …
In the first of our Fighting Bac workshops our researchers will share promising new strategies for controlling bacterial plant diseases using microbes and microbial products. The workshop will focus particularly on the next steps for translating these findings into real …
Fighting Bac: Making microbes our allies (Stakeholder Workshop) Read More »
In the wonderfully named village of Little Snoring in Norfolk is a unique and pioneering experiment. It is home to the Bac-Stop field site which includes 144 intensively monitored trees. This makes it the largest ever tree-focused drought field trial …
Sandra Denman (Forest Research and project lead for the BAC-STOP project) recently wrote a summary of her team’s research activities for the annual Woodland Heritage Journal. Normally only available to Woodland Heritage members, we are delighted to have permission to …
Ever wondered what plant pathologists actually do all day? What kinds of experiments they do and the kinds of equipment they use? The BAC-STOP project have made some great films to document their research into the causes of Acute Oak …
On 16 February 2022 over 100 participants gathered online, from as far afield as Latvia and South Africa, to hear about the latest research on Acute Oak Decline (AOD). This online webinar included research updates from both the BAC-STOP and …
New factsheets on bacterial tree diseases
Congratulations to Marine Cambon of the BAC-STOP project who recently won the Flash Presentation Award at the Molecular Microbial Ecology Group (MMEG) meeting on 1-2 December 2021. The prize was sponsored by the journal FEMS Microbiology Letters. Marine had just …
To mark National Tree Week Bac-Stop social scientist Mike Dunn reflects on our endutring love of oak trees.
BAC-STOP researchers are studying the odour preferences of bark-boring beetles to understand the spread of Acute Oak Decline.
Hear about the latest research into oak diseases.
What do oak trees mean to you? Can you imagine a world without them? We are inviting everyone who loves oaks to submit an Ode 2 Oaks.