Alders play a vitally important role in Europe. Their diversity of characters not only enables them to establish as pioneers but in many cases also allows them to play a significant part in climax forests and make a major contribution to the ecology and stability of river banks. All four European alder species are important in the establishment of woodland on difficult sites. European alders are largely free from major pest and disease problems so the discovery of a previously unknown disease, caused by a new Phytophthora fungus, led to major Concerted Action within Europe. The Bulletin sets out to:
– determine if the spread of the disease within Europe can be limited.
– define the nature of the pathogen.
– make recommendations on disease management and control.
– identify future research requirements.
Although aimed primarily at forest pathologists and managers, it is hoped that these issues will prove to be of interest to a wider audience, coupled with the fact that work on alder Phytophthora disease has also thrown up important information about the generation of new pathogens through unusual hybridisation events and other evolutionary processes.