Beech leaf disease (BLD) is a new disease affecting several species of Fagus (Fagus grandifolia F. sylvatica, F. engleriana, F. orientalis). It has been found in the US and Canada where it is spreading rapidly and having a significant impact. Healthy beech trees have been observed dying in as little as six years from the onset of symptoms. The European Plant Protection Organisation has recently added BLD to its Alert List.

In order to raise awareness about this disease and to support botanic gardens in monitoring for its presence in collections, BGCI is organising an outreach event on Wednesday 13th Oct 2021, 13.00-14.00 BST.

This event is open to all interested staff from gardens across Europe and will take place online.

This session will focus on raising awareness and providing further information on BLD and its relevance to botanic gardens with Fagus species in their collections.

There will be a presentation from Tom Prior (FERA, UK) on symptom recognition/spread of the disease as well as a brief overview of the EUPHRESCO project on the plant health status of Fagus spp. (FAGUSTAT). We will also discuss the role of BGCI in addressing this disease through the IPSN.