A moratorium on planting the Coriscan Pine in the UK on Froestry Commission land will last for five years while further research into the red band needle blight disease is carried out.

The Commission said today that it will honour existing grant contracts for planting the species of pine, however it will advise private-sector forest managers about the dangers of red band needle blight.

Corsican pine (Pinus nigra ssp. Laricio) is an important softwood timber species grown in many parts of Britain, particularly in southern Britain.  Red band needle blight is caused by the fungus Dothistroma septosporum. When it infects certain species of pine it can seriously reduce growth and timber yield, and in severe cases it can cause trees to die.

The Commission's decision to suspend planting of Corsican pine on its own land for five years while it researches and reviews the impact of the disease follows a Great Britain-wide survey of the problem last year. As part of the process, forest management techniques to minimise the impact of the disease are being investigated, along with the option of planting alternative species.

"Unfortunately, it appears that red band needle blight could be here to stay", reported Stephen Smith, the Commission's assistant operations manager for England.  "Although the worst affected area is East Anglia, where more than 70 per cent of Corsican pine trees are thought to be infected, the disease has also been identified on Corsican pine in all parts of England and in parts of Wales and Scotland", he said.

The disease was also found on a number of other pine species, including lodgepole pine.