EVER since OPM (oak processionary moth) was found in 2006 on imported oak trees planted in West London, the Forestry Commission has been completely hands-on in its attempted eradication and later containment of this alien invasive insect pest. 

Through a department dedicated to dealing with OPM, the government agency carried out significant parts of the overall programme, directed and organised insecticide spraying by private contractors and covered most of the costs across the entire spectrum of OPM management and control. 

WANT MORE ON OPM? 

In the early years, OPM was confined to a handful of London Boroughs, but subsequently spread year-on-year so that, today, OPM has been found feeding on oak trees in every single borough, in the adjoining Home Counties (Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Kent) and in additional counties further away from the capital including Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Sussex. OPM is clearly beyond effective containment in the longer term and perhaps why the FC has developed an innovative programme which bankrolls facilitators via grant assistance. Facilitators bring together a group of people to understand the risks and hazards of OPM, as well as surveying trees for the presence of OPM. 

To qualify for the grant, oak trees infested by OPM and requiring treatment must be in the OPM Established Area. The OPM Established Area features an annual OPM programme of surveillance and control, led by the FC. The OPM Established Area currently covers the whole of London and parts of the adjoining Home Counties (Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Kent).

The facilitator will get financial support and advice to:
•coordinate a group of land managers
•organise a survey
•print signage for path diversions, and to raise awareness of site biosecurity protocols
•buy biosecurity items including tape and posts to cordon off infested areas and boot cleaning items such as large containers, disinfectant and boot picks
•create a group OPM management plan
The OPM management plan will set out:
•site-specific actions for individual group members
•area-based actions for the whole group
(Both of these presumably include nest removal and destruction, and spraying with an appropriate insecticide.)

The FC expects the OPM management plan to take about 16 hours to complete. 

Eligibility for the oak affected by OPM grant 

To apply for this grant, the prospective facilitator will need to:
•be part of a group
•make one group application
•have oak trees in the Established Area that may be affected by OPM
He or she can apply for a grant which pays back the costs of:
•time spent acting as a facilitator for the group – forming the group, creating 

the group’s OPM management plan, organising tree surveying
•hiring contractors to survey the group’s oak trees to identify OPM
•signage, tape or posts to cordon off infested areas and boot cleaning items

Grant payment rates for oak affected by OPM

The FC will fund standard costs at the specified rate in the grant payment rate table (see above), regardless of the cost to you. 

Actual costs means the total amount it costs for you to carry out the work or buy goods and services.

The FC is asking interested parties to:

  • Read about the role of the lead facilitator to find out what they need to do for a group application under the THP scheme.
  • Email thpilotenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk to request a template of the OPM management plan and to refer to the OPM toolkit for more guidance.