Message from the Forestry Commission
OPM 2025 - update 1
Happy New Year and welcome to the first oak processionary moth (OPM) update of 2025. We're pleased to welcome Dr Edward Straw to the OPM team as the new Programme Manager. Edward is taking over from Andrew Hoppit in leading the OPM team at the Forestry Commission. He’s worked in university research science for nearly a decade, working with flies, plants and bees, both in the UK and Ireland. Edward is looking forward to working with stakeholders and helping protect Great Britain’s precious oak trees and limit the human impact of OPM.
Support for residents with OPM
Residential homeowners in the OPM Established Area can apply to participate in a pilot for help with treating trees to manage OPM. The offer is only open to residential properties that have four or fewer oak trees. The offer is open from 6 January 2025 to 30 January 2025. Please click here to apply using the online form.
Tree Health pilot scheme OPM grant
We’re pleased to confirm that grants for oak processionary moth (OPM) in the Tree Health Pilot scheme will be extended until the launch of a full nationwide scheme.
In summary, the grant is open to Local Authorities and offers funding and specialist advice for:
Creating an OPM management plan and a communications strategy - £1000 for the first 100 trees, plus £10 per additional tree up to and including 1000 trees.
Organising surveying to identify OPM - 100% actual costs
Producing communication materials (for example print leaflets and signage for path diversions, and to raise awareness of site biosecurity protocols) - £300
Attending biosecurity training - £40
Buying biosecurity items (including tape and posts to cordon off infested areas and boot cleaning items) - £30 standard cost.
Planting season reminder - requirements for moving large oaks
As we are now in the planting season, please remember that large oak trees in the OPM Buffer zone and Established area, are subject to post planting inspections and strict biosecurity measures. This legislation came into force in May 2023.
Restrictions on moving large oak trees (Quercus L), with a girth (circumference) at 1.2m above the root collar of 8cm (2.55cm diameter approx.) in Great Britain vary dependent on which OPM management zone the trees are in.
To see what zone the large oak trees you want to move are in, and what zone they would be moved to, you can use the Forestry Commission interactive map.
This is summarised in the guide: Moving large oak trees within the oak processionary moth ( OPM ) management zones.
