Cross contamination

[JBH]

Doing some Phytophthora Larch removals currently

 

I always think about cross contamination and spreading of diseases through deadwooding/removals/pruning

 

Are there people that decontaminate their equipment between jobs?

[Jon Heuch]

JBH

I can't answer your question directly but you need to be clear that many phytophthora species are soil borne and especially like wetter soils. So treating equipment such as chainsaws, gloves and boots may be useful to address biosecurity risks but if your vehicle goes down the road with muddy wheel arches and tyres you've probably got many times the inoculant (i.e. spores) on  your vehicle as you had with your chainsaw. Whilst your saw may go directly onto another tree on another site the parrallel risk from soil to soil spread is just as important to address.

I suppose the best advice is do what you can but don't do one meticulously if you aren't addressing the other...

 

[JBH]

Many thanks for the knowledge Jon

👍