Observatree Volunteer

Tree Health Surveyor Handbook

Photo credit – Observatree training event, Fountains Abbey (Charlotte Armitage)

Welcome to the Observatree project

A message from Peter Crow, Observatree Project Manager

Hello and welcome to Observatree! On behalf of all the project partners, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for offering your time and skills to support the project, without volunteers the Observatree project could not exist. Our ongoing aim is to work together with you to deliver a tree health early warning system for the

UK utilising citizen science.

This is a ground breaking project and we’re constantly learning new and improving ways of working to create an effective tree health early warning system. By bringing together the expertise of the professional tree health diagnosticians and your knowledge, skills and enthusiasm we will continue to develop a system that will make a valuable contribution to the protection of the UK’s trees.

I will look forward to meeting as many of you as I can over the course of the project. Peter

A message from Charlotte Armitage, Citizen Science Officer (Observatree)

Hello and welcome to the Observatree volunteer network. I am really looking forward to getting to know you and working with you as you volunteer for the Observatree project.

As the Citizen Science Officer for the Observatree project, I am responsible for recruiting new volunteers and working with our partners to organise and deliver the regional induction and training events. I am also here to provide on-going support, training and resources for all of the volunteers in the network. I send out regular e-newsletters to keep you updated on the project but please do contact me any time if you have any questions or concerns.

Charlotte

Key contact

Charlotte Armitge Citizen Science Officer (Observatree) Woodland Trust Kempton Way Grantham NG31 6LL Email: observatree@woodlandtrust.org.uk Phone: 0343 7705855

Project partners Observatree was initially funded by the EU’s LIFE+ programme, to create a tree health early

warning system. Led by Forest Research (the research agency of the Forestry Commission),

partners include APHA, Defra, Fera, National Resources Wales, The National Trust and The

Woodland Trust.

Forest Research - Forest Research aim to provide research services relevant to UK and international forestry interests and inform and support forestry’s contribution to UK governmental policies. Their core roles are to provide the evidence base for UK forestry practices and to support innovation.

APHA - APHA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Welsh Government and The Scottish Government. They work to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs and APHA- Defra are the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on environmental, food and rural issues. APHA is an executive agency sponsored by Defra. They work to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

Fera Science Ltd - Fera delivers services in relation to plant health, bee health and plant varieties and seeds. Forestry Commission England- Forestry Commission England is the government department responsible for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woodlands and increasing their value to society and the environment.

Forestry Commission Scotland- Forestry Commission Scotland is the government department responsible for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woodlands and increasing their value to society and the

environment.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) – NRW is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. Their purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used, now and in the future.

National Trust - The National Trust protect some of the most important spaces and

places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They take care of historic houses, gardens, mills, coastline, forests, woods, fens, beaches, farmland, moorland, islands, archaeological remains, nature reserves, villages and pubs – and then open them up for ever, for everyone.

Woodland Trust - The Woodland Trust use their experience and authority in conservation to influence others who are in a position to improve the future of native woodland. They also campaign to protect and save ancient woodland from destructive development.

Observatree Volunteer Do’s and Don’ts DO make sure you know exactly what is expected of you- 12 general tree health survey reports or the monitoring of 6 sentinel trees a year. DO attend networking and training events if you can. DO talk with the Citizen Science Officer if you are having any difficulties or if you need any support. DO think about what you want to get out of your voluntary work. DO remember that your site survey results are important, both positive and negative sightings. DO claim your expenses. DO enjoy your work and have fun.

Photo credit – Observatree volunteer training, Leigh Court (Suzanne Sancisi-Frey)

DON’T over commit yourself – offer only as much time as you can reasonably give. DON’T keep worries or problems to yourself. Share them with the Citizen Science Officer or a member of the WT National Volunteering team. DON’T carry out any job if you feel it is unreasonable to, or is against your wishes. Talk through it with the Citizen Science Officer first.

DON’T panic if things go wrong – tell the Citizen Science Officer and work together to find a

solution.

Induction, networking and training In order to reduce travelling times and environmental costs, the induction, training and

networking events for volunteers take place in 11 regional locations:

South West England South East England Greater London West Midlands East Midlands East of England Yorkshire and the Humber North West England North East England Wales Scotland

Regional training events

Volunteers are invited to attend a regional training event each year. The training events focus on

learning practical skills – tree ID, tree health surveying and sampling, observational skills, map

reading, recording accurate grid references, and biosecurity procedures. This is particularly

encouraged for new volunteers starting on the project but is also a useful refresher for existing

volunteers. Please remember we can’t cover everything at training days and the videos on the

Observatree website go into much more detail.

Regional networking events

Volunteers will be invited to attend Woodland Trust thank you/networking events in their regions

by Volunteer Development Officers. These events are an opportunity to learn more about the

wider work of the Woodland Trust and meet volunteers from a number of different roles.

These events tend to be more informal than the regional training events. These events focus on

thanking you for all your hard work and feeling more embedded within the Woodland Trust.

Additional information

Volunteers have access to a private information library filled with resources and useful

information through the Observatree project website (further details below).

Additional training is often provided using webinars and teleconferences. A wealth of useful

training resources can be found on the Observatree website www.observatree.org.uk/resources

Volunteer website and forum

The Observatree volunteer forum has been created for you to communicate with members of the

Observatree project team and with other volunteers in the network. The website also houses all of

the documents, forms and resources you require to carry out your role as well as useful links to

further sources of information.

Registering for the volunteer website

Click on the link below and fill in your details to create an account: http://www.observatree.org.uk/network/members/register/ In order for the site to remain secure, Charlotte Armitage will have to approve your account

before you can access the site. Once you have been approved, you can log into the site at any

time:

1) Go to the Observatree website www.observatree.org.uk 2) Click on the “log-in” icon in the header of the webpage

Take some time to familiarise yourself with the different pages by watching a short video on how

to navigate the site in the “help and support” section.

Resource Library

The resource library in the volunteer area of the website should contain all of the documents and

resources you need, including the following:

Observatree Volunteer forms and resources (volunteer handbook, expense forms etc.)

Observatree Volunteer updates (monthly e-newsletters)

Woodland Trust Volunteer documents (insurance policy, volunteering policy)

Tree identification resources

Pest and disease resources

Biosecurity information

Risk assessments

Training presentations and activities

Surveying resources

Online version of the site survey recording form

Volunteer forum

The main purpose of the Observatree volunteer website is to provide you with the opportunity to

ask questions and find out more information so you can carry out your volunteer role effectively.

Members of the Observatree project team will be answering any questions posted on the forums

as well as providing you with additional resources and signposting you towards other sources of

information.

Structure of the forums

To make sure we can deal with your questions efficiently, we have created a number of forums for

different purposes:

Welcome Forum: a welcome area that enables you to become acquainted with the system and

with each other. This is where you can create your first post and get used to the way this system

works.

Volunteer discussion: you can ask questions relating to your role.

Pests and Diseases: technical questions and comments about pests and diseases, surveying and

verification skills.

Regions: you can use this area to talk to people in your area and organise regional activities.

Getting started

Post an initial message in the welcome forum to introduce yourself and to make sure you know

how to use the forum. If you’re not sure how to do this, you can watch a short film which explores

the functions of the site https://www.observatree.org.uk/help-and-support/.

You can read more about the forum and get some top tips on how to make the most of it in the

Observatree Volunteer Website Good Practice Guidelines.

Responding to your questions

We will aim to respond to your questions within 1 to 3 working days. Timeframes may be

extended during times when training/networking events are taking place. If you have an urgent

enquiry, please contact Charlotte Armitage directly via phone or email. We would also like to

encourage you to answer questions from other volunteers if you feel confident to do so.

Your role

The project will be based upon a triage system allowing information to flow upwards with

increasing accuracy. This will ensure that data being entered onto Tree Health databases is as

accurate and reliable as possible.

There are two roles: Surveyor and Triage Verifier.

Tree Health Surveyor: Carrying out initial field surveys for the presence of specific pests and

diseases on common tree species.

Tree Health Triage Verifier: Contacting landowners to collect additional information for tree

pest and disease records and verifying tree pest and disease records from members of the public. This is a desk based role using the tree alert system.

Project Structure

Tree Health Surveyor Surveyors are tasked with visiting sites to carry out surveys for the presence of tree pests and

diseases. If it is business as usual sites are selected based on volunteers interest and convenience,

if there is an outbreak we may ask volunteers to do more targeted surveys.

The process 1) Select a suitable site for surveying and find a map of the area. Highlight any potential

points of entry for pests and diseases e.g. stone importers, plant nurseries, new plantings, footpaths etc

2) Consider the tree species found within the site and, therefore, which pests and diseases you are more likely to observe

3) Decide on a suitable time and date to carry out your survey, taking into account the local

weather forecast and any planned activities/work taking place on site

4) Complete the lone working form and leave the top half with someone e.g. friend, partner

5) Ensure you have everything you need to carry out the survey (copies of the surveying form, pens, map of the site, biosecurity kit, letter of authority, business cards, suitable clothing and footwear, charged mobile phone, bottom half of the lone working form, camera)

6) Carry out the site survey. For larger sites, either follow the paths, spiral inwards or zigzag

through looking for unhealthy trees. If you observe an unhealthy tree, or groups of trees, take a look for other trees with the same symptoms

7) After the survey complete the site survey form that can be found in the volunteer area of

the Observatree website- compatible on desktops/tablets/phones. We will cover how to fill in the form at the training events.

8) Please include a ten figure grid reference if possible. You can learn more from the digital

learning videos on the Observatree website or download a free Ordinance Survey app https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/os-locate

9) Complete the first part of the surveying form even if you don’t observe any tree pests or

diseases so we know the site has been surveyed. Include all the healthy species of trees you observed so we know which pests/diseases aren’t present.

10) Always return the completed surveying form through the Observatree website in the

volunteer area https://www.observatree.org.uk/network/tree-health-surveyor-site-survey-form/ even if you haven’t seen any pests or diseases, negative sightings are just as important as positive ones. Remember if you don’t report when you have been on a survey this crucial information won’t make it to the tree health teams who need it.

11) If you have seen any of the 22 priority pests and diseases also make a report through Tree

Alert http://www.forestry.gov.uk/treealert. Inform Charlotte of the tree alert number as unfortunately at present she does not have access to this information.

12) Log your activity using the activity diary, including any issues or suggestions for further training you require: https://wtcharlottearmitage.survey.fm/observatree-volunteer-activity-log Letting us know your hours is extremely important please don’t forget to do it.

13) Post any queries on the volunteer forum about unusual signs and symptoms observed or if

you want any identification help https://www.observatree.org.uk/network/groups/pest-and-diseases/. Members of the tree health teams at forest research will be able to answer.

14) Please try and do at least one site survey a month, you can either re-visit the same site to

monitor changes in tree health or visit different sites each month whichever you will find the most interesting.

15) If anything is going to stop you surveying for an extended period of time please discuss this with Charlotte.

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed and don’t know how to start surveying here are some tips:

Focus on a particular host species when you first visit a wood that you are confident you can identify eg ash and check the health of these trees. On subsequent visits you can look at more species as you gain confidence.

You could walk the periphery of a wood on your first visit to see the health of the trees, this is where wind-borne diseases will first enter.

On the next visit you could walk all the paths in the wood looking for signs of ill health in the trees, this is how diseases will enter the wood that can be transported by people.

If you need any help picking an initial location please get in touch with the Citizen Science Officer and she will offer suggestions, maps, and guidance.

The importance of negative data

By undertaking a range of proactive site surveys, you are helping to increase surveillance and

increase the likelihood of identifying outbreaks of new tree pests and diseases earlier. This survey

activity helps with tracking the spread of new tree pests and diseases recently arrived in the UK by

filling in gaps in the current distribution. We also ask you to submit negative site survey data;

sightings of trees not affected by pests and diseases. This data is just as useful because it highlights

locations of potentially pest/disease-resistant or tolerant trees and has been utilised by the

University of Cambridge to aid tree pest and disease modelling for emerging threats.

No data no results We ask that you please submit your survey results to the Citizen Science Officer through the Observatree website no matter what you find. If you fail to report what you have seen this vital information doesn’t make it to the tree health teams and therefore your hard work is not captured.

Targeted tree pest/disease surveys At certain times of the year, we may ask you to assist with carrying out more targeted surveys

following new outbreaks of priority pests and diseases. Previously, surveyors have checked host

trees for oriental chestnut gall wasp, Sirococcus tsugae and chestnut blight. These surveys have

been popular with existing volunteers because it has helped to focus their surveying efforts and

made the submission of negative data much easier than during general tree health surveys.

Please do get involved with these surveys if you can. These will normally be communicated

through the monthly volunteer update so do make sure you read them.

Occasionally, these targeted surveys have only operated in certain locations within the UK. For

example, surveyors in Scotland and Northern Ireland have been tasked with carrying out Chalara

surveys in 10km grid squares where the disease has not been found previously. This surveying

activity has helped to identify new findings of the disease and identify healthy ash trees.

We also have host species of the month, this is to guide your surveying effort and let you know

when the best time of year to look for certain symptoms and species is. This information can be

found in the monthly volunteer updates in the volunteer area of the Observatree website.

Sentinel tree survey As a variation to the existing tree health surveyor role, the project has created a network of

sentinel trees surveyed by volunteers on a regular basis to record their general health; identify

new outbreaks of pests and diseases affecting them and to monitor rates of any decline. This has

been achieved by selecting a number of individual trees; identifying their species and checking

them at regular intervals for signs and symptoms of the priority pests and diseases known to affect

those species of tree.

By visiting the same individual trees on a regular basis, we can more accurately determine when a

pest/disease arrives within the area and monitor the impacts on individual trees. The data

collected is utilised by the Forestry Commission and Forest Research to help track the spread of

pests and diseases across the country as well as identifying new outbreaks. The data will also help

to determine the rate of decline in the health of the trees once they have become infected or

infested.

The sentinel trees survey helps you to focus your surveying efforts on a number of selected

individual trees rather than surveying the entire woodland. The reporting protocol is also much

simpler which saves time for volunteers. Read more about this survey in the sentinel trees

surveying protocol document. If you interested in this type of surveying please watch our sentinel

tree webinar using the following link https://thewoodlandtrust.sharefile.eu/d-sd09bf3637724ec68

Accessing sites The majority of sites surveyed by volunteers will be on public land or accessible using public rights

of way. However, some of the sites you are asked to visit may be on private land and so

permission must be sought from the landowner before any surveys are carried out. We can help

you to seek access to private land; please contact Charlotte Armitage if you require help seeking

access to private land.

You have open access to Woodland Trust and National Trust sites; to gain access simply show your

letter of authority to prove your involvement with the project. You can also seek access to the

public forest estate in England via Forestry Commission England and in Wales via Natural

Resources Wales. In order to access FC and NRW sites, you will need to complete a copy of the

access permission forms included in your welcome pack and return it to your local district office.

Data protection- if there is an outbreak If there is an outbreak of a particular pest or disease you may be asked to investigate a particular

tree alert report. You will have access to contact details and other personal data about Tree Alert

reporters and landowners, we must ensure that all of the information provided is protected. In

order to achieve this, we ask that you read the following and adhere to it.

If you have been emailed a tree health incident report in order to complete a survey task, you must not keep tree health incident reports once you have completed the survey task associated with each one:

Electronic records relating to the report should be sent the Woodland Trust Citizen Science Officer (or designated deputy) and any files should be deleted.

Any information from tree health incident reports that you have printed in order to complete that task should be securely destroyed (e.g. shredded) once you have completed the task associated with it. If you do not have a secure method of destruction please send to Charlotte Armitage for shredding.

Dealing with landowners Both of the volunteer roles (site-based and desk-based) may involve dealing with private

landowners at some point. It is important that you carry business cards and your letter of

authority when carrying out your role. This is especially important when surveying on private land.

Biosecurity In order to minimise the introduction or spread of tree pests and diseases, we ask that you follow

biosecurity guidelines when carrying out site visits or attending induction and training events.

All volunteers are issued with a copy of the Woodland Trust’s biosecurity policy and the current

Forestry Commission guidance. Tree Health surveyors are also issued with a biosecurity kit

(containing a plastic bowl, scrubbing brush and disinfectant spray) these will be issued at training

events. If you have not yet had a biosecurity kit and want to start surveying this is ok but please do

ask Charlotte for advice first.

Health and Safety Your personal safety is extremely important to us. All of the activities that you are expected to

carry out as part of your role have been risk assessed. Please take time to read through the risk

assessments and ensure that you follow the guidance when you are carrying out your volunteer

role. Report any incidents ASAP to Charlotte’s inbox observatree@woodlandtrust.org.uk

Insurance For information about the Woodland Trust’s public liability insurance cover, please refer to the

Woodland Trust Volunteer handbook received in your welcome email from the volunteering team

or the Volunteer Insurance Policy document.

Lone working Observatree volunteers who are carrying out site-based activities should complete a lone working form. Please complete two copies of the form for each visit – take one with you and leave one with someone else. Ensure you take a fully charged mobile phone with you on all site visits and dress suitably for the expected conditions.

Tree Alert / Tree Check Once you have reported a tree pest or disease to the Observatree database, also please use the

Forestry Commission’s Tree Alert online reporting form http://www.forestry.gov.uk/treealert or

via Tree Check in Northern Ireland. Please note that priority is given to reports that include a

photo(s) so please do try to take a photograph is possible. Please read our how to guide in the

volunteer library on the Observatree website https://www.observatree.org.uk/download/.

Please note – you do not need to report sightings through Tree Alert when carrying out a site visit

assigned to you through the Observatree project. These sightings are already recorded on Tree

Alert.

Tree Alert allows users to:

Record observations of general tree health problems

Capture reports of tree pests and diseases of particular interest e.g. Chalara ash dieback

Landowners to submit diagnostic requests (a paid service provided by Forest Research)

Provide additional information to support accurate reporting e.g. taking good photos

Log into the verification portal so that Observatree volunteers can work alongside

government scientists to verify tree health reports (restricted access)

Expenses Observatree volunteers may claim expenses for public transport costs or mileage calculated at a

standard rate for Woodland Trust task-related return journeys from home. This includes

attendance of induction, networking and training events. Receipts must accompany all expense

claims except mileage.

Volunteers may also claim for telephone calls made as part of their role. All calls must be made

from and to landlines or the cheapest option wherever possible to minimise expenses. Expensive

mobile calls may exceed the maximum payment and must be pre-agreed with Charlotte Armitage

before expenditure where possible.

When claiming expenses for the first time, please complete a new volunteer record form with your

bank details so that we can pay your expenses. If you are carrying out more than one volunteer

role, please ensure that you use the correct expense form for each role.

Horse chestnut leaf miner moth emerging

Activity log In order to keep track of the work you have carried out and the time spent on these activities, we

have created a simple online survey for you to complete on a regular basis (at least once a month).

The online activity log should be completed in as much detail as possible so that we can recognise

interesting case studies and identify topics for future training events.

The activity log can also be used to upload any interesting photos that you are happy to share with

other members of the network. You can access the link here:

https://wtcharlottearmitage.survey.fm/observatree-volunteer-activity-log

Promoting Observatree The Observatree project, and your work as volunteers, is a great story for us to tell, but it contains

a number of messages that need to be told correctly. Luckily we have a PR team at the Woodland

Trust who can help! We will be issuing news releases about the project during its course and there

may be occasions where journalists from newspapers, radio or TV want to find out more about the

project.

If you receive any direct enquiries from the media about your volunteering please take the contact

details of the journalist and pass them back to Hollie Anderson at the Woodland Trust press office:

hollieanderson@woodlandtrust.org.uk / 0343 7705408. We value your enthusiasm for the project

but please do not contact the media directly yourself. Let us do it for you! If you have any

questions please get in touch with Charlotte Armitage or Hollie Anderson.

There may be occasions where the media want to attend some training sessions or even spend

some time with you as you carry out your work, this will be organised by our press office and I will

make sure you’re aware of when this may happen. We hope you’ll find the experience of

volunteering with us a positive one and will have great stories to tell!

National volunteering development team The Woodland Trust National Volunteering Development team provides additional support, advice

and training for all volunteers. You will also receive volunteer newsletters and invitations to

training events and volunteer conferences from the Volunteering team. For further information,

please see the Volunteering handbook. You can contact the team at

volunteering@woodlandtrust.org.uk

The volunteering team also have a news sharing platform called whittle. This is for all Woodland

Trust volunteers and is where you can find news and stories from across the Woodland Trust. As

this is for all volunteers Observatree specific items can only be found on the Observatree website.

The national volunteering team will provide you with your whittle log in details.

https://whittle.woodlandtrust.org.uk/

Additional Support If you are feeling unsure about your role at any point please voice your concerns we are all here to

help and there are a number of different people you can turn to:

Charlotte Armitage- as you will know she is your volunteer manager and can usually be

reached through the Observatree inbox obervatree@woodlandtrust.org.uk you can go to

her for any aspect of the role for additional support.

Volunteer Development Officers (VDO)- each region will have a VDO they are employed by

the Woodland Trust as additional support for all our volunteers. They will also organise

thank you events, and will let you know of additional training opportunities in your area. If

you need some more local knowledge these staff may be best placed to help.

Lead volunteers – this year (2019) we have introduced the concept of lead volunteers to

the project. Ten people have been recruited from the existing network so they know the

project well. It is hoped that they will act as mentors if ever you aren’t sure of something.

They will primarily be communicating to you via the regional forums on the Observatree

website, why not say hello?

The forum- the Observatree forum has staff from Forest Research, FERA, and Natural

Resource Wales if you have a technical question why not see if the experts know the

answer.

Any issues or concerns We hope that you enjoy your experience as an Observatree volunteer but we understand that

issues may arise from time to time. If you have any concerns about carrying out your volunteer

role or experience any problems, please contact Charlotte Armitage in the first instance so that we

can work with you to resolve the situation.

And finally We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking part in the Observatree project.

Your time and experience is greatly valued. With your help we will strive to protect the UK’s trees,

woods and forests from pests and diseases. We look forward to working with you and supporting

you along the way.

Useful links and sources of information

Observatree Project website:

www.observatree.org.uk

Resources section:

http://www.observatree.org.uk/resources/

Volunteer area: https://www.observatree.org.uk/network/

Fera General organisation information: https://www.fera.co.uk/

Forestry Commission

Pest and diseases pages: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pestsanddiseases Biosecurity guidance: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/biosecurity

Forest Research

Tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes:

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/tree-pest-and-disease-alerts-and-advisory-notes/

Tree pest and disease posters:

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/tree-pest-and-disease-posters/

National Trust

General organisation information: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

Woodland Trust

Tree pest and disease information:

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/tree-diseases-and-pests/

Defra An online hub for plant health information, data and resources: https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/