Countryside Science provides professional support for tree health, disease, and pest management across a wide range of land-use contexts, from individual trees to woodland and forestry settings.

Tree health issues are often identified at points of uncertainty — following storm damage, during management planning, in response to visible decline, or when public safety, liability, or funding considerations come into play. Decisions are frequently made by non-specialists who need clear, defensible advice rather than blanket prescriptions.

Our role is to help clients understand what they are seeing, what the risks are, and what action — if any — is appropriate, based on site context, objectives, and current best practice.

Tree and pest identification & early-stage advice

Understanding the issue before acting

A common starting point for tree health work is uncertainty: “Is this disease?”, “Is this pest-related?”, or “Does this tree pose a risk?”

Countryside Science offers identification and initial assessment as a standalone professional service, providing clarity at an early stage and helping clients avoid unnecessary intervention or inappropriate responses.

This service may involve a site visit or walkover to identify signs of disease, pest activity, or decline, and to explain their significance in context.

Initial assessment typically includes:

  • Identification of tree species and observed symptoms

  • Recognition of disease or pest indicators

  • Differentiation between serious issues and normal variation or stress

  • Quantifying risk to tree stands in commercial forestry

This service can stand alone or act as a gateway to more detailed assessment or planning.

Common challenges we help address

Tree health and pest management decisions are often complicated by uncertainty, competing objectives, and external pressures.

Risk and prioritisation

  • Understanding actual risk versus perceived risk

  • Distinguishing individual tree issues from wider stand-level concerns

  • Prioritising action where resources are limited

Disease and pest interpretation

  • Avoiding misdiagnosis or overreaction

  • Understanding progression, tolerance, and variability

  • Recognising when intervention is necessary — and when it isn’t

Balancing objectives

  • Managing safety, biodiversity, and access together

  • Integrating tree health decisions into wider land-use goals

  • Avoiding unnecessary loss of trees or habitat

Management planning & strategic advice

Tree health and pest considerations are frequently addressed within broader management frameworks rather than as isolated issues.

Countryside Science provides specialist input to support:

  • Woodland Management Plans (WMPs)

  • Estate and land management plans

  • Safety, access, and risk-based prioritisation

  • Long-term resilience and succession planning

Advice is tailored to site context and objectives, ensuring responses are proportionate, evidence-led, and defensible.

Consultancy, surveying & advisory services

Consultancy & strategy

  • Site-specific tree health and pest advice

  • Interpretation of disease and pest presence

  • Review of existing management approaches

  • Support for long-term resilience planning

Surveying & assessment

  • Tree and woodland walkovers

  • Condition assessment and prioritisation

  • Identification of disease and pest distribution

  • Monitoring to inform future management

Training & knowledge transfer

  • Staff and volunteer awareness training

  • Improving confidence in recognising symptoms and risks

  • Supporting informed, proportionate decision-making

Pests and diseases

The organisms detailed below are those where we have industry experience and specialisms in management and control.

Vertebrate Pests

 

Species Identification Surveying Management Planning Control
Grey squirrel Yes Yes Yes No *
Deer (all) Yes Yes Yes No *
Wild boar Yes Yes Yes No *
Livestock damage Yes Yes Yes No *
Unidentified mammal damage Yes Yes Yes No *

Invertebrate Pests

 

Species Identification Surveying Management Planning Control
Large pine weevil (Hylobius) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Great spruce bark beetle (Dendoctronus) Yes Yes Yes No *
Oriental chestnut gall wasp Yes Yes Yes No *
Bark beetles (All) Yes Yes Yes Yes
General forest entomology Yes Yes Yes Yes

Diseases

 

Species Identification Surveying Management Planning Control
Resin-top disease of pine (Peridermium) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dothistroma needle blight Yes Yes Yes No *
Phytopthera species Yes Yes Yes No *
Ash dieback Yes Yes Yes No *
* Not all species can be controlled effectively, and some may require specialist licenses or permission. Countryside Science are happy to offer advice regarding management of these species and may be able to recommend specialist contractors.
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