Tree heath lab tests receive ‘gold standard’ accreditation
3 Feb 2025
Forest Research has been awarded the ISO/IEC 17025 certification by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).
“It’s the gold standard for laboratory tests in the UK,” said Dr Christine Wilson, Head of the Forest Protection at Forest Research. “It demonstrates our testing is accurate, robust and trustworthy.”
Being awarded the accreditation has been the culmination of over three years of hard work from the tree health lab team.
The accreditation process is rigorous and covers assessments of the tests themselves through to the management of the lab.
For example, all the lab’s equipment – from PCR machines to fridges and freezers – was calibrated and checked regularly to make sure that it was within the correct parameters.
Policies and processes were put in place for everything from data protection requirements to risk assessments to quality control measures.
“You’re building evidence over time,” said Christine, “it’s not a quick process.” But the results are worth it, “with this accreditation, decision-makers know that our results are reliable.”
The accredited tests are:
New research has been published which explores how to enable and encourage access to woodlands for diverse members of the public.
Forest Research has been involved in a project focusing on efforts to improve inclusivity in biosecurity practices by exploring how to integrate different knowledge systems into mainstream decision-making.
Forest Research has released the latest Accredited Official Statistics on woodland and forestry in the UK.
New research has been published which explores how to enable and encourage access to woodlands for diverse members of the public.
Forest Research has been involved in a project focusing on efforts to improve inclusivity in biosecurity practices by exploring how to integrate different knowledge systems into mainstream decision-making.
Forest Research has released the latest Accredited Official Statistics on woodland and forestry in the UK.
