Phytophthora Warning

Juniper under threat

The Heather Trust has been concerned about Phytophthora (pronounced fy-TOFF-thora) for some time, although initially because of concerns that the disease could have an effect on heather itself. While P. ramorum has a devastating impact on blaeberry (V. myrtilis), it so far seems as though heather is relatively safe from large scale damage.

However, equally worrying is the sudden appearance of a different kind of Phytophthora which targets juniper, a vital component of the moorland environment, and one which has suffered terrible declines over the past century. Phytophthora austrocedrae has been found to have killed large numbers of juniper trees in the North Pennines, and the extent of the damage could be far worse.

Juniper trees have considerable value as cover for a range of birds and mammals, including black grouse, but the species may be better known to moorland managers in Scotland in its low-growing variant, often mixed in with heather or on rough ground on the moorland margin. These low-growing junipers are a feature of moorland in the North East of Scotland, and while they are perhaps less well known than the classic upright "tree" form, they are equally vulnerable to P. austrocedrae.

Austrocedrae was first identified in Argentina in 2007, where it was responsible for damaging a native species of cedar. The pathogen attacks the roots and stem bases of juniper, causing symptoms of die-back which vary from a few brown or orange shoots to an entire reddening of the plant, leading ultimately to death. It is unknown how this type of Phytophthora came to Britain, but the family of pathogens to which it belongs is renowned for being highly mobile, infectious and persistent.

Plantlife has recently started a survey on Phythophthora austrocedrae, and they are urging people to get in touch with them if they encounter juniper which appears to have been infected by the disease. This coincides with the Scottish Plant Health Strategy which was unveiled by the Scottish Executive last week in a push to raise awareness about plant diseases.


For information on Phytophthora which is relevant to moorland managers, have a look at our Members' Briefing.

Heather Beetle 2014

After a few dry days of sunshine and light winds, it seems like 2014's burning season is suddenly upon us. Some good fires are being put in from Aberdeenshire and Angus to the Peak District, although many of the West Coast moors have stayed too wet to carry a flame, even through white grass. With the changing seasons, curlews have retuned and the snipe now drum at all hours, while the grouse pairs are becoming more territorial and the blackgame have begun to display in earnest.

When the average day temperature rises above 9degC, heather beetles come out of their hibernation and can be very conspicuous for a few days as they disperse. Beetles hibernate in the deep moss and leaf litter throughout the cold days, where the layers of vegetation protect them from the worst of the frost. Emerging on the first warm days of Spring, it is easy to find beetles as they take to the air and spread out in search of mates and breeding grounds.

Heather beetles are notoriously weak fliers, and they will often seem to drift with the wind whichever way it takes them. If they happen to "crash land", they may settle again for the year within a short distance of their hibernation site, but often they will travel for hundreds of yards.

2013 was a very quiet year for heather beetle damage, and the largest outbreaks were quite modest by comparison to some of the terrible damage caused in previous years. Perhaps this is linked to the long, cold winter which flared up again with a major fall of snow in March last year, and although it is still possible that the cold could come, the conditions for early spring 2014 are precisely the opposite, after the wettest winter on record. Perhaps this will lead to a bad year for beetle damage in 2014, and we rely on your feedback to trace beetle outbreaks wherever they take place.

The Heather Beetle Survey Form is available again from the Heather Trust website, and we are always very keen to hear from people who have spotted beetles or damage caused by beetles.

As Spring runs into Summer, we will be circulating our Heather Beetle Survey Form. In the meantime, why not have a look at our Members' Briefing on Heather Beetles