Not sure how many of you guys travel the A38 to get to the breaks of Cornwall, but you might start to notice that the Glynn Valley (From Dobwalls to Bodmin) is changing. The sad fact is one of the prettiest Valleys in the South West is being devastated by a tree disease called Phytophthora Ramorum, the forestry plantations are all being felled as the disease spreads, and soon there will be very little wood left.
Obviously the main softwood plantations are a crop and would be felled sooner or later, but that usually happens slowly with a programme of re-planting. Now everything has to go and nothing will be replanted anytime soon. The disease is also spreading into the native species and killing them.
The effect on the valley is horrendous, both aesthetically and environmentally, hard to tell as yet how it will affect the Fowey and all the wildlife. Sad times.
The even more worrying thing is that this disease is spreading up country through Devon and into Somerset, could be worse than Dutch Elm in many ways.
So say a prayer when you are driving up the Valley.
More info on the Disease
