myForest Lab Project - Can You Help?
myForest Lab Project - Can You Help?
The UK currently has large areas of undermanaged woodland. In England some 50% of private woodland area is unmanaged. It is very evident that Britain's forests are not fulfilling their true potential to deliver, through climate and flood regulation, biodiversity, timber production and other areas.
myForest is a flagship project for the Sylva Foundation. Their mission is to combine both forestry knowledge and IT skills to provide innovative solutions to some of the environmental challenges facing modern society.
A new national monitoring project is being launched to help prevent the potential spread of a serious pest which affects spruce trees.
Do you have spruce growing in woodland that you own or manage? Are you willing to host and collect samples by installing a spruce bark beetle trap? The projecting is seeking volunteers able to help with this research. In return, volunteers will gain important insights into management actions which may reduce the vulnerability of their woodlands.
The main objective of the project is to help monitor any potential movement of a serious tree pest, known as the larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus).
Volunteers will be contributing crucial data and information that will create an "early-warning system" by participating in this project. In turn, this will help swift action to be taken to limit the impact of this pest. The data obtained will also give researchers a better understanding the biology of the pest and help in developing policy and guidance for the sector.
Of course, one of the main benefits of taking part in this research project is that if the pest is discovered in a volunteer’s own woodland, this will trigger prompt action can be taken to limit any damage.
