AN INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSES OF THE 

 DEATH OF BIRCH TREES IN EPPING 

 FOREST AND ELSEWHERE. 



By ROBERT PAULSON. 

 [Read October 6th, 1900.] 



At the Cryptogamic Meeting of the Essex Field Club held 

 on Saturday, Oct, 28th, i8gg, a (juestion was raised respecting 

 the death of several birch trees in different parts of the Forest 

 area, and as the data for a satisfactory explanacion were not 

 fortlicoming, the following notes have been made with the view 

 of placing a report before the Clul). 



On first visiting (Nov., 1899) those parts of the Forest 

 where birch trees are abundant, it appeared that only a small 

 percentage of them had died or were diseased, but this was 

 owing to the fact that the observations were made during the 

 late autumn, when it was difficult to determine which trees had 

 really been attacked. In the early summer of this year it 

 became quite evident that the infected area was a wide one, 

 that many trees were diseased, and that by far the worst locality 

 was that in which dead trees were first observed, viz., in the 

 N.VV. portion of Lord's Bushes, Buckhurst Hill. 



A glance at the map (exhibited at the meeting) which has 

 been marked with a series of red dots to indicate the areas of 

 infection, shows that a great part of the Forest has suffered ; 

 indeed, wherever the birches have been examined, there have 

 been found signs of the disease. Trees either dying or dead 

 may be seen at Lord's Bushes, on portion of ground just beyond 

 the Old Toll-house, Buckhurst Hill, in private grounds opposite 

 the Bald Faced Stag, in the Church-yard Buckhurst Hill, at 

 Trap's HUl, Strawberry Hill, High' Beach, Wake Arms, Long 

 Running, and at Ambresbury Banks, 



During last autumn the older and possibly weaker trees 

 were attacked, while during this summer trees of all ages have 

 developed the disease. The Forest birches are not alone in this 

 respect ; trees may be seen around London in various stages of 

 decay, but the Forest area appears to have been one of the 

 first in which the disease showed itself in this destructive form. 



