Biotic and abiotic factors affecting the dying back of pedunculate oak Quercus robur L

Abstract

Episodes of dying back of pedunculate oak Quercus robur have occurred in Europe. In this article, produced to mark the 70th volume of Forestry, the 1920s episode, as described by contemporary research workers, is evaluated. The second part of the paper is concerned with an account of the 1989-1994 episode in Great Britain and comparisons are made with occurrences elsewhere in Europe. In Britain, one feature not previously recorded, was attack on declining trees by the buprestid beetle, Agrilus pannonicus. © Crown Copyright, 1997.