Lord Gardiner pays special visit to the Yorkshire Arboretum

He met with director Dr John Grimshaw, staff, and arboretum trustees including Professor Nicola Spence, chief plant health officer and deputy director for plant and bee health at Defra.

Following a tour of the grounds, Lord Gardiner was keen to discuss the arboretum’s response to issues surrounding tree health and biosecurity, reviewing plans to build the UK’s first Tree Health Centre, which will be a purpose-built facility to expand public awareness about the threats to our trees posed by an array of pests and diseases.

Yorkshire Arboretum director Dr John Grimshaw said: “Our trees are threatened by an unprecedented array of pests and pathogens. Protecting our trees has never been more important – everyone is a stakeholder in tree health.”