This piece is an extract from our Latest from the Woods newsletter (previously Forestry Latest News), which is emailed out at 4PM every Friday with a round-up of the week's top stories.
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THE most surprising thing about this week's spruce revelation is that it doesn't appear to have shocked anyone who has been paying attention.
As of October 29, the planting of any tree for commercial purposes from the genus Picea A.Dietr – which includes the likes of Norway spruce – is to be banned in a bid to slow down the alarming spread of Ips typographus in parts of southern England.
On Tuesday, the Forestry Commission confirmed the new rules would be enforced in already established demarcated areas in the South East and East Anglia, with Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk among the affected counties. Alongside the announcement, the FC released an updated outbreak map, which appears to show there have been four separate Ips outbreaks in 2024 alone.
Some exceptions will be allowed – such as in Christmas tree growing settings – but even those will be subject to fresh restrictions, which have no set timeline, so, in theory, could be permanent.
“Ips typographus can have a serious impact on spruce trees, and so restricting spruce planting in some areas of East and South East England ahead of the tree-planting season will help with our ongoing eradication efforts," is how the FC's head of plant health, forestry, Andrea Deol put it.
This comes hot on the heels of confirmation from forestry officials that the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle was found in Wales for the first time earlier this year, meaning it has now reached all the nations of mainland Britain.
This news will undoubtedly worry many foresters and others involved in the timber sector. And you may have some questions. I know we do.
“How significant is spruce planting in the South East/East Anglia to England’s woodland creation rates? Of the 430 hectares of coniferous species in last year’s planting figures, how much of that came from the areas subject to the ban?"
"Will spruce planting efforts be refocused on different parts of the country now?"
“Will any planting grant applications that have already been approved for spruce species in the affected regions be cancelled or fulfilled?”
"What species are you recommending foresters now plant in the 'spruce-free' zones?"
"Given that temperatures are predicted to rise in the SE/EA, was it likely spruce was going to phased out anyway?"
Those are just some of the questions that have come to mind since the news dropped yesterday morning. I'm sure you will have plenty more.
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