Search Observatree

Tree health

Report a tree pest or disease

Spotted a tree pest or disease? Report it as quickly as you can.

Blog

The science behind Observatree

As part of the ongoing ten-year celebrations, Peter Crow, Observatree's project manager, looks at the power of combining citizens and science.

Peter Crow  •  25 Oct 2023

Pests and diseases

Sweet Chestnut Blight

Sweet chestnut blight is a fungus that grows beneath the bark of sweet chestnut trees causing cankers that can girdle the tree.

Blog

Canker Stain of Plane Trees: A Silent Legacy of World War II

Canker stain of plane (caused by the fungus Ceratocystis platani) may be a rather obscure pathogen to most, but its story intertwines with one of history’s most turbulent chapters: World War II.

Duncan Allen  •  29 Apr 2025

Blog

Host of the month - Beech

Matt Parratt highlights Beech (Fagus sylvatica), its associated Beech leaf disease (BLD) and how to spot it.

Matt Parratt  •  19 Jun 2025

Blog

On the trail of Sirococcus tsugae

Lead Volunteer, Andy Gordon, lets us know about his experience of surveying for Sirococcus tsugae.

Andy Gordon  •  14 Aug 2018

Pests and diseases

Beech Leaf Disease

Beech leaf disease is a newly described disease causing discolouration of beech leaves. 

Blog

Becoming an Observatree volunteer; learning together and becoming a part of the family.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, Citizen Science Manager at the Woodland Trust, reflects on the role of the volunteer, the training opportunities and their vital to the Observatree project.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite  •  16 Oct 2023