Summary

Public awareness about tree health is low, but there is huge potential for expansion given the popularity of biological recording and automated identification apps. Increased participation in tree health reporting could improve our ability to plan for, prevent or mitigate tree health risks. Tree Alert is Britain’s official reporting route, with verified records feeding into the government’s biosecurity surveillance system. However, it can be less accessible for citizen scientists with a more general interest. This project investigates opportunities to increase participation in tree health recording via other well-used apps, and to utilise these data within Tree Alert.

Research Objectives

  • What system changes are required to facilitate the transfer of data relating to tree pests and diseases from iNaturalist and Treezilla into Tree Alert, without overwhelming Tree Alert’s operational capacity or compromising data quality?
  • What are the key barriers and motivators to participation in tree health citizen science for novice recorders and/or existing users of iNaturalist and Treezilla?
  • What are the affordances and constraints to using iNaturalist and Treezilla as primary engagement tools for novice recorders, and which training and messaging strategies contribute to uptake?

Latest Update

Our online is currently live. It’s open to anyone aged 16 or over and living in the UK, who has either participated in nature-related citizen science before, or might be interested in doing so in the future. If you’d like to take part, please visit https://defragroup.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0UqvHMqcaMg0ko6

Our Involvement

Forest Research is leading delivery of this project.

General Content

The project is organised into three main work packages: – A proof of concept and feasibility study, focused on exploring potential methods of data export from iNaturalist and Treezilla; opportunities for data integration; and implications for validation. This will include testing the data transfer process on a sample of data and identifying any system changes required. – A review of the existing evidence on the use of biological recording observations to inform plant health, investigating best practice for obtaining high-quality records whilst maximising engagement and participation. – Investigating novel engagement approaches. This work package will be informed by an online survey and online focus groups, aimed at those with a general interest in nature-related citizen science and tree health, to identify and explore barriers and motivators for engaging in citizen science for tree health and using the apps targeted in this project. The findings will inform the development of engagement methods which will then be tested and evaluated.

National Conversation on Plant Health

This project is part of a wider body of research delivered under the National Conversation on Plant Health programme of work, led by Forest Research and funded by Defra’s Future Proofing Plant Health programme. This aims to lay the foundations for a national conversation on plant and tree health and biosecurity by developing our understanding of current levels of awareness, attitudes, motivations and actions relating to the topic; and by exploring opportunities to encourage action.
Excerpt: Increased participation in tree health reporting could improve our ability to plan for, prevent or mitigate tree health risks. This project investigates opportunities to increase participation in tree health recording, focusing on existing well-used apps, and to utilise these data within Britain’s official reporting route, Tree Alert.