A PLANT disease which kills Lawson cypress trees has been found for the first time in Ireland in Tollymore Forest Park, Co Down.
The Northern Ireland authorities have put in place a containment policy to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of the forest and the country. As yet there are no reports of it being found elsewhere.
A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the North said measures to control the disease at Tollymore include the felling of infected trees which was normal practice when dealing with this type of tree disease.
“While the majority of the forest currently remains unaffected, it will be necessary to restrict public access to certain areas to prevent soil movement,” the spokesman added. “We would ask users to observe signage at the site and to remain on the waymarked paths.”
The disease is caused by a pathogen known as Phytophthora lateralis. It infects tree roots which come into contact with spores in the soil or water and kills most Lawson cypress trees it infects.
The pathogen kills the roots of host trees and although it can potentially affect a number of tree species including other Chamaecyparisspecies and Pacific yew ( Taxus brevifolia), it is a specific threat to Lawson cypress ( Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), which normally die following infection.
Planting infected plants or using soil that is harbouring spores are key pathways for introducing the disease into new sites.
The first outbreak of the disease in Britain was confirmed at Balloch Castle Country Park, Scotland, in November 2010.
There are now four confirmed outbreaks in Scotland. There have been no outbreaks in the Republic.
Until recently, the disease was largely confined to Canada and the United States, but outbreaks have been recorded in France and the Netherlands.
Lawson cypress, while not of significance here in commercial timber production, is a popular tree used in ornamental situations and are found in many gardens and public parks across the island.
The Department of Agriculture in the North said anyone concerned about their Lawson cypress trees can access nidirect.gov uk/forests where information on the identification of Lawson cypress and P.lateralis symptoms is available.