Sudden death for thousands of trees
A deadly disease described as the "foot and mouth" of trees is wiping out forests across the country.
一種致命疾病被稱為樹木“口蹄症“，正在消滅遍布全國各地的森林。
By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
12:04AM GMT 08 Jan 2011
Translation by Autumnson Blog
Trees are under threat from the fungal disease for which there is no known cure Photo: ALAMY樹木受到來自真菌疾病的威脅，對此沒有已知的治療方法 圖片：ALAMY
Sudden oak death arrived in Britain from America, where it decimated the oak population, just under a decade ago via imported plants.
突然的橡樹死亡從美國來到英國，在那裡橡樹的數目銳減，剛衹低於十年前通過進口植物。
In Britain the disease, officially known as phytophthora ramorum, spared oaks and jumped to rhododendrons and Japanese larch trees. In the last year it has taken hold along the west of the country in larch plantations, including more than 120 Forestry Commission sites, 20 National Trust properties and two Woodland Trust reserves.
在英國，疾病的正式名稱是ramorum疫病，放下橡樹及跳至杜鵑花和日本落葉松。在去年它已在國家沿著西邊的落葉松人工林站穩陣腳，包括超過 120個林業委員會的地點，20個國家信託財產和兩個林地信託儲備。
Already 4 million trees have been felled or marked for destruction.
已有400萬株樹被砍伐或標記作銷毀。
More are expected to be chopped down in the coming years because the warmer, wetter conditions expected with climate change encourage the spread of the disease.
預期在未來數年還會有更多樹木被砍倒，因為預計與氣候變化而較溫暖、潮濕的情況鼓勵傳播疾病。
In the latest cull, a landowner in the Quantock Hills in Somerset was forced to cut down 50,000 trees, while the National Trust chopped down 10,000 larch trees in the area. Landowners face crippling costs for felling sick trees, while walkers are urged to disinfect boots to stop P. ramorum, which is a fungal disease, spreading on their feet.
在最新的撲殺，一位在薩默塞特匡托克丘陵的地主被迫砍伐 50,000株樹，而國家信託在該地區砍伐10,000株落葉松。土地擁有者為生病的樹木面對沉重的砍伐成本，而遊人被呼籲消毒靴子以停止 ramorum，它是一種真菌疾病由他們的腳傳播。
Philip Chambers, the owner of Milverton Sawmill, in Taunton, Somerset, said that landowners had been forced to pay to chop down larch trees even though the timber was worth very little because of oversupply.
He compared the situation to the foot and mouth crisis when farmers were forced to cull their cows to stop the disease spreading. "It is for trees what foot and mouth was for cows, except there is no compensation for the landed gentry," he said.
Experts from the Forestry Commission are carrying out inspections across Britain and will order a cull wherever the disease is found.
It takes hold quickly, causing bleeding lesions, blackened or wilted leaves and, ultimately, death. It can also affect garden shrubs, such as rhododendron and camellia.
Charlton Clark, of the commission, said landowners could be offered a small grant to pay for the culls. "The equivalent of 4,400 football pitches of Japanese larch have so far been confirmed as infected with ramorum disease in the UK, and either have been or will be felled to prevent the disease from spreading," he said.
There is no known cure for the disease and Mr Clark warned that Japanese larch could be wiped out in the South West.
The outbreak is one of a number of threats to Britain's ancient trees.
A separate disease, acute oak decline, is killing oaks, while chestnut trees have been felled across the country because of infections spread by moths.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/8247580/Sudden-death-for-thousands-of-trees.html
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