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Pests and diseases

Great Spruce Bark Beetle

Accidentally introduced to the UK in 1982, the great spruce bark beetle damages spruce trees by tunneling into their bark.

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Volunteers

Find out how volunteers support the Observatree project 

About us

Observatree associates

We work with organisations that recognise the importance and implications of tree health.

Blog

Investigation into the causes of Alder mortality in Scotland

Plant Health & Biosecurity Scientist at The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Matt Elliot, discusses the decline of Alder trees (Alnus glutinosa) in Scotland. 

Matt Elliot  •  12 Feb 2026

Blog

Host of the month - Elm

This month Matt Parratt looks at elms (Ulmus species) and Elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda).

Matt Parratt  •  21 May 2026

Get in touch

Get in touch with Observatree

Contact the team at Obsrvatree

Blog

Highlights from Spring Northern Meet-ups

Each year, lead Observatree volunteers in the countries and regions organise Spring meet-ups for local volunteers to network and explore a site. For this blog, Charles Lane (Fera) shares his experience attending two meet-ups.  

Charles Lane  •  10 Aug 2026