Plant Biosecurity: delivering a healthier future for the UK's plants and trees – New Report

APSE has launched a new report, outlining the various measures, resources, and strategies local authorities can employ to deal with biosecurity issues.

As UK local councils strive to plant more trees in response to Climate Change, alongside developing greener local parks and public realm, APSE, (Association for Public Service Excellence) wanted to explore the state of preparedness of local councils when it comes to biosecurity threats.

Biosecurity threats can come in many forms. Perhaps the most well-known threat, and one which local authority parks and woodlands services are already grappling with are diseases such as Dutch Elm Disease and Ash Dieback.   

To support local councils APSE conducted a survey to ascertain the key diseases, pests and invasive non-native species that are most affecting local authorities across the UK, as well as the levels of implementation of biosecurity measures, and the awareness of UK-wide biosecurity issues. 

The survey found that just over one-third of respondents were aware of the UK Plant Biosecurity Strategy (2023-2028), which is a collaboration between DEFRA and the devolved administrations. Furthermore, just 10% of respondents had a specific biosecurity policy, although more encouragingly 58% said they considered biosecurity issues. 

These stark survey findings prompted APSE to triangulate the biosecurity data against its earlier data on parks and greenspaces that found that 74% of local authority parks professionals expect budget cuts in the next five years, with 78% saying that budget cuts had already led to reduced maintenance and an increase in unmaintained land.

As a result of these stark findings, APSE has now published a detailed report outlining various measures, resources and strategies local authorities can employ to deal with biosecurity issues, including practical measures to better support the way in which biosecurity threats are managed. 

The full report ‘Plant Biosecurity – Working towards delivering a healthier future for the UK’s plants and trees’ is free to download from the APSE website here. 

Speaking about the report, Mo Baines, APSE Chief Executive said:

“Our member local councils face an array of challenges. Climate change and the ecological emergency declarations made by many UK councils have quite rightly led to a greater focus on the local environment, including tree-planting schemes, enhancements to green spaces and parks and the introduction of new plant species. These are clearly welcome measures, but they must be done in a managed way with the right resources, including sufficient management and maintenance budgets."

Baines added: “In addition to the rather stark findings of our survey work, this report opens a lens into the real threats of reducing parks and greenspace budgets. Dealing with biosecurity threats from tree and plant diseases and non-native invasive species will be essential if local councils and local communities are to reap the rewards of increasing tree cover and enhancing a greener public realm.”

Matt Ellis, APSE Principal Advisor for parks and greenspaces said: “Our latest report is a must-read for local parks professionals and should also be of grave concern to local councillors in setting their parks and public realm policies. Greater awareness of biosecurity measures and awareness of ways in which those threats can be reduced should be at the fore of parks and public realm management and operations. I commend this report to them”.     

The report, which seeks to raise awareness of biosecurity practices by outlining the nationwide strategy backed by the Government, also offers practical steps from waste disposal to plant sourcing and equipment, as well as cleaning guidance for equipment, tools and personnel to help stop the spread of diseases. APSE will continue to support the work of DEFRA and the Plant Biosecurity Strategy by raising awareness and practical measures with its member local councils. 

Download the report here

Notes to editor

· Diseases such as Dutch Elm disease are estimated to have killed over 25 million elms since 1970, and Ash Dieback - whose total cost is predicted to be around £15 billion - demonstrates the significant environmental and economic damage biosecurity threats can cause. 

· The UK has a target date of net-zero emissions by 2050. It is widely acknowledged that to reach this target the UK must protect its native trees and plants as they absorb a significant amount of carbon, contributing to the carbon reduction target.

· APSE has recently seen an increase in requests relating to tree and plant diseases and invasive non-native species. Although the prominence of these biosecurity risks has been rising steadily since the 1990s, recent outbreaks and a greater focus on the natural environment have pushed biosecurity concerns further up the priority list of some local authorities. 

· The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK. Promoting excellence in public services, APSE is the foremost specialist in local authority frontline services and operates one of the UK’s largest research programmes in local government policy and frontline service delivery matters.

· For further press enquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact APSE Communications Officer George Barton at [email protected]