PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The biodiversity associated with broadleaved woodlands, wooded pastures and wooded meadows has long been under serious threat from the intensification of agriculture, abandonment of grazing and conversion to conifer plantations. Over the past few years, however, the threats from the invasive fungi Dutch elm disease in combination with ash dieback, which cannot currently be eradicated, have posed an even more serious threat to the several habitats listed in Annex-I of the Habitats Directive: Fennoscandian wooded meadows, Fennoscandian old broad-leaved deciduous forests, and Fennoscandian wooded pastures. Elm (Ulmus spp.) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) make up almost 70% of the old growth tree layer on Gotland, which is home to 17% of the Swedish population of old elms and 24% of the old ash. If no action is soon taken, there is a substantial risk that the majority of the old ash and elm trees on Gotland will be dead within a decade, which will have a significant impact on the associated biodiversity.
OBJECTIVES
The Life-ELMIAS project aimed to:
RESULTS
The LIFE-ELMIAS project has been successful in identifying and eradicating infected and risk trees, keeping Dutch elm disease (DED) under control. The project has developed and improved methods for combating DED and have built capacity and knowledge within the project's team. The DED is under control, but not fully eradicated. The project has significantly slowed the progress of the disease and thus has helped conserve the Habitat Directive Annex listed habitats and species depending on elms.
The LIFE-ELMIAS project created a distribution map of elms, identifying trees with (DED) and those at risk of infection. These trees were then felled and destroyed as a means of controlling the disease. Furthermore, it developed and improved methods for combating DED and built up the capacity and knowledge of the project team. As a result of these measures, DED is now under control. Though it has not been completely eradicated, the project has significantly slowed the progress of the disease and thus helped conserve the nature conservation values depending on elms. Also, the project has improved understanding of the European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus), which is a vector of the disease, and the DNA provenance of the DED pathogen has been established.
Another achievement of the project was the creation of a database and site seed bank, comprising material from more than 100 disease-resistant ash genotypes. Also, the project produced 25 restoration plans and restored 30 ha of Annex I habitat, with around 200 trees veteranised, 400 trees pollarded, 700 trees cleared around, more than 500 trees protected from grazing animals, and 200 trees vaccinated and evaluated.
Monitoring calculated a mortality rate for the region of 0.5% per year, which is similar to that of similar studies carried out Canada, Italy and the Netherlands. The team analysed these results to assess the impact of the project compared with a ‘control’ environment where no measures are taken. Its findings were detailed in four articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
The project significantly contributed to the objectives of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, establishing a long-term basis for conservation. The beneficiary hopes that the project will lead to a government agency being set up to combat existing and future alien species. The SLU will continue to manage the ash seedling plantation and the associated database depending on funding.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
