Eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus)

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Action required: remove storm damaged trees

Landowners, managers and timber processors should continue taking action to rapidly remove storm damaged trees in the demarcated area.

Spruce trees that have fallen or snapped significantly increases the chances of Ips typographus occurring in spring/summer if another flight occurs from the continent. We recommend that spruce continue to be walked, with fallen or snapped trees identified and destroyed where possible.

Ips typographus feeds on live but significantly weakened trees, with snapped stems down to 8cm diameter being a key target. These trees will have lower resin pressure as they can’t draw water up from the roots, which weakens their ability to repel Ips attacks. Trees that have been pushed over but are leaning or hung up with roots still largely intact, are not a significant risk, as they can still draw water. Older, dead trees are not a risk for establishment.

Chipping or burning are suitable methods of destruction, but if this is not possible, the wood can be sawn, dragged into a pile, and covered with a weighed down tarpaulin with the edges tucked in and weighed down. This will speed up the rotting process, rendering material unsuitable in time.

Woodland owners, managers or timber processors in the Ips Demarcated Area (PDF, 3.08 MB, 1 page), require authorisation to remove and transport damaged trees for processing. To request a movement authorisation inspection email ipstypographus.authorisation@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

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Report sightings

If you think you have spotted signs of this beetle anywhere in Great Britain, tell us using our Tree Alert form. You can also submit a tree alert form if your spruce woodland is exhibiting signs of decline or stress. We may arrange for a follow up inspection.

Report suspected sightings in Northern Ireland using Treecheck, the all-Ireland tree pest reporting tool.

Restrictions and prohibitions in the demarcated area

To protect the country against this pest, under powers conferred by The Official Controls (Plant Health and Genetically Modified Organisms) (England) Regulations 2019, the Forestry Commission introduced a notice to demarcate an area around the confirmed outbreak sites. This is to restrict:

• the planting of spruce trees
• the felling, stacking and movement of spruce material
• the movement and methods of forest operations

The demarcated area covers parts of:

• Lincolnshire
• Bedfordshire
• Cambridgeshire
• Norfolk
• Suffolk
• Hampshire
• Berkshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Hertfordshire
• Surrey
• City and County of London
• Greater London
• East Sussex
• West Sussex
• Kent and Essex

All areas are shown in the Ips Demarcated Area (PDF, 3.08 MB, 1 page) and map.within the Notice 7 (2024) (PDF, 1.24 MB, 5 pages), which also contains a description of the boundary.

Notice 7 (2024) includes the following conditions:

(i) Restrictions on the felling of susceptible material without prior notification. Landowners must provide notice of their intention to fell relevant material at least 14 days in advance of any felling in the demarcated areas. Felling may only commence once written authorisation is provided the Forestry Commission.

(ii) Restrictions on the killing of trees (either by ring-barking, chemical injection or application, mechanical means, biological control or arboricultural intervention) of the genus Picea A. Dietr over 3 meters in height, without prior notification. All operations must be agreed in writing by the Forestry Commission.

(iii) Prohibition on susceptible material being left in situ, unless authorised in writing by a plant health inspector.

(iv) Prohibition on the movement of spruce (Picea A. Dietr) material with bark (for example, wood with bark, isolated bark, live trees over 3 metres) that has originated within the demarcated area.

(v) Prohibition on planting spruce (Picea A. Dietr) within the demarcated area, unless exempt as detailed within the notice, or authorised by either the Forestry Commission or the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This prohibition applies to any trees grown in the ground or within planting containers.

Planting of spruce

ThereWithin the demarcated area there is a prohibition in place on the planting of spruce treestrees, within the demarcated area, as introduced in Notice 7 (2024) (PDF, 1.24 MB, 5 pages). This applies to all landowners, land managers and professional operators.

Authorisations for planting of spruce within the demarcated area, outside of those situations already exempt within the Notice 7 (2024), will be granted on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to conditions set out by the Forestry Commission. Contact usthe Forestry Commission to check eligibility for authorisations before applying.

Felling of spruce, and movement of timber

There are restrictions in place on the felling of spruce trees, the movement of spruce timber and spruce stacking in the demarcated area.

Watch the video on the movement restrictions of spruce trees.

See the quick visual guide (PDF, 14.7 MB, 6 pages) on the movement restrictions of spruce trees and spruce material within the demarcated area.

Provision is made to enable plant health inspectors to authorise movements and processing of spruce material with bark from the demarcated area where this can be achieved without risking the spread of Ips typographus.

For authorisation to commence felling, or to dispatch timber from a harvesting site, within the demarcated area email ipstypographus.authorisation@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Non-spruce conifer timber that is bark-free is not subject to the same movement restrictions.restrictions, Itso it can be moved and processed without need for inspection or authorisation.

Read more about when you need plant passports.

Stacking timber

Authorisation is needed before adopting any approach of timber stacking.

Landowners or managers felling spruce and looking to stack timber in situ to season (dry out), must apply for authorisation to stack timber in the Ips typographus demarcated area.

Processing timber

Processing of spruce material that originated in the demarcated area must only take place at premises authorised by the Forestry Commission to receive this material.

Export guidelines

Read guidance on exporting wood and wood products to the EU (and rest of the world).

No phytosanitary export certificate is required for exporting to countries in the EU that don’t have a pest free areaareas status for Ips typographus.

Any movement of spruce from within the demarcated area to a point of export must be authorised by the Forestry Commission, and any point of despatch requires authorisation by the Forestry Commission as a place to receive and process material.

For authorisations, contact ipstypographus.authorisation@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Restocking guidelines

Landowners should remove susceptible spruce (stressed, windblown) from the Ips typographus demarcated area within the South East and replant with other species.

Funding is available through the Tree Health Pilot for landowners to fell and restock woodlands in the Ips typographus demarcated area.

Read the restocking guideguidance following the removal of spruce trees within the Ips typographus demarcated area. This guide explains what is permissible under both legal requirements and in grant funded situations when spruce trees are felled under Statutory Plant Health Notice and in proactively felled high-risk areas.

The guideguidance also includes requirements across different sites including:

• Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites
• designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest
• Special Protection Areas
• Special Areas of Conservation
• and other protected landscapes, for example national parks

Guidance for alternative species to planting spruce

The UK Forestry Standard expects any species to protect and enhance the features of a site. Tree species need to reflect the soils and climate of the site. Use of an inappropriate native species could do more harm than a non-native, that was well suited to the ecology of a site.

Landowners should consider which tree species are most resilient to any pests and diseases that may be prevalent in the area, and resilient to the impacts of climate change, including drought and windblow. You can get advice from your local Woodland Officer or professional forester. We recommend you use the Ecological Site Classification decision support tool to help choose species locally.

Choosing the right species

The soil where spruce has been planted will be good for a wide range of other tree species. It is essential that a soil survey is conducted to ‘ground-truth’ a site, and that current and future climate is considered.

Good ‘spruce sites’ in the South East are potentially suited to:

• pedunculate oak
• Douglas fir
• many pines

Alkaline soils would suit:

• hornbeam
• Norway maple
• sycamore
• Italian alder
• Atlas cedar

Moister soils would suit:

• most firs
• common alder
• aspen
• coast and giant redwood

Forest Research has several tools to help advise you on restocking:

• Ecological Site Classification
• Tree species database
• Climate matching tool
• Forest development types
• Climate Change Hub

Latest resources

Refer to the latest maps, guides, and resources for Ips typographus:

• confirmed outbreak sites (25km grid summary) (PDF, 1.99 MB, 1 page)
• confirmed outbreak sites (10km grid summary, south-east) (PDF, 1.34 MB, 1 page)
• guide to restocking your woodlands (Ips typographus)
• infographic explaining the spruce planting prohibition for different industry groups
• Ips typographus guide for landowners and managers (PDF, 789 KB, 4 pages)
• authorised processors for Ips typographus
• a quick visual guide (PDF, 14.7 MB, 6 pages) explains the movement restrictions of spruce trees and spruce material originating within the demarcated area
• read how Tree Health Pilot grants can help the proactive management of spruce within the Ips typographus demarcated area
• see the proactive spruce removal map (PDF, 1.54 MB, 1 page) for eligibility for the Tree Health Pilot for proactive removal of spruce
• read how we have been managing Ips typographus since 2018 in our ‘behind the Scenes’ blog
• find out about the ongoing studies on this pest and the susceptibility of spruce trees in our science blog
• Forest Research pest and diseases resources page