Early Signs Of Elm Disease Spotted In Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Council’s arboriculture team face the battle against elm disease each summer.

Elm disease is spread by elm bark beetles, which live in the bark of the trees and carry the disease through their root systems. 

Brighton & Hove City Council are reminding residents how they can help manage elm disease in the city and protect the city’s historic collection of beautiful elm trees.

The council are reminding residents not to buy elm logs or timber that hasn’t been stripped of bark and treated.

Brighton & Hove City Council know that residents might find it tricky to identify logs or timber, but reputable suppliers should know what type of wood they’re selling and be happy to tell you.

Brighton & Hove City Council are asking residents to be an extra pair of eyes and let the council know if they spot any elm trees with leaves wilting or turning yellow or brown ahead of autumn.

This is particularly important in private gardens that aren’t viewable from public places. 

If you’re concerned about an elm tree, please contact the council by emailing elmdisease@brighton-hove.gov.uk with a photo and the tree’s ‘what3words’ location so we can come and take a look. 

If it’s infected, Brighton & Hove City Council can take immediate action to remove it and stop the disease spreading free of charge to the tree owner.

Several trees across the city are infected with elm disease, including an elm on Grand Parade, two mature elms at Old Steine and a very mature pollarded elm located at the edge of The Level. 

In addition, 29 elm trees are infected with elm disease in Coldean, just off Coldean Lane between Park Road and Hawkhurst Road. These are  in nine different locations across the area.

As part of the council’s essential conservation work, they 'sadly' need to remove the trees.

Elm disease can spread very quickly, so the council remove trees to ensure the disease doesn’t spread and they can protect other elms in the area.

As with the removal of any tree in the city, the decision is taken by Brighton & Hove City Council’s arboriculture team who are all tree experts and work hard to conserve the city’s trees. They don’t and won’t remove trees unless it’s vitally important to do so. 

Many trees have been lost to elm disease across the city in previous years and the council anticipate more loss over the summer months. 

As part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s replanting plan, they’ve planted 19,919 trees and tree whips in the past year to regenerate woodlands devastated by ash dieback and elm disease.

Brighton & Hove City Council are planting nearly 60,000 tree whips in 2024 to continue our important regeneration work and this includes 5,400 tree whips across woodland in Coldean.  

As part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s elm disease programme, the timber is destroyed to slow the spread of elm disease and minimise the threat of the elm beetle.

Brighton & Hove City Council are working in partnership with Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project to save elm wood from processing.

Five tonnes of elm wood have been repurposed and given a second life. 

The wood is sold by Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project and used for making shelves, furniture and other projects.

The wood is from elm trees felled last season that were infected with elm disease. 

The wood sold by Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project has been carefully debarked and is safe to use. 

Councillor Tim Rowkins, Chair of the City Environment, South Downs and The Sea Committee, said:

“It’s unbelievably sad to see large elm trees succumbing to disease and needing to be taken down. 

“Leaving them in place would lead to far more destruction, so we are forced to choose the least bad option to prevent further spread of disease.

“We’re proud of our world-renowned collection of trees in the city and we have a duty to protect them. This year we have begun rolling out an inoculation programme for our elms to help reduce the spread of disease in the future.

“We ask residents to only buy wood for log burners and stoves if they know it is not elm wood. 

“The elm loss in Coldean is really devastating, and we’re sorry for the impact this might have on local residents. We’ll do our best to minimise any disruption caused by road closures.”