Dear colleague,

 

As many of you will know, the number of emerging pests and diseases of woody plants (i.e. species that have never previously been recorded outside their native continent) is continuously increasing. Early warning of these potential invaders before they arrive can be based on surveys of sentinel plantings and nurseries, and of arboreta. However, such surveys will necessarily face the presence of organisms and symptoms that have never been observed before by the surveyors.

 

To facilitate the identification of the most likely causal agents of damage to woody plants in situations where the exact identity of such agents is unknown, a field guide for the identification of damage on woody sentinel plants has now been published. The book is now available as a free open-access e-book under the following link. No hard copies of the book will be sold. http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/ebook/20173265430

 

This guide is intended as an aid for managers of sentinel plantings, botanical gardens or arboreta, as well as phytosanitary inspectors, who may have knowledge of common pests and diseases of woody plants, but may not know the likely cause of damage that they have not encountered before. It aims to provide a tentative identification of relatively broad groups of organisms and not definitive identification of the causal agents.

 

There are chapters that explain how to use the guide, followed by keys (for different organs of conifer and broadleaf species) to guide the user to the relevant sections of the book, based on the questions entomologists and pathologists ask themselves when looking at a damaged or diseased tree in a fashion similar to how a doctor interrogates a patient to arrive at a diagnosis. The largest part of the book is devoted to the description and illustration of damage types and typical causes of the observed damage.

 

The book is an output of COST Action FP1401 - A global network of nurseries as early warning system against alien tree pests – “Global Warning” (www.ibles.pl/cost).

 

Regards,

 

René.

 

Dr René Eschen

Senior Scientist – Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology

CABI

Rue des Grillons 1

CH-2800 Delémont

Switzerland

 

Telephone: +41 (0)32 421 4887

Fax: +41 (0)32 421 4871

Email: r.eschen@cabi.org

Visit us at www.cabi.org or http://www.cabi.org/about-cabi/cabi-centres/switzerland/

 

Have a look at the Woody Weeds website: www.woodyweeds.org

 

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