Current and Future Insect Threats to UK Forestry

The beginning of the 21st century has seen an unprecedented assault on the UK by invasive forest pests and diseases (Defra 2013; Figure 1). Some of these new pests and diseases have attracted much media attention and have increased political awareness, e.g. the large scale death of larch caused by Phytophothora ramorum and ash dieback caused by Chalara fraxinea. In this article, however, I will concentrate on the insect threats to our forest landscape, both amenity and commercial, and suggest some possible solutions to the problem.