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excessive bark fall occurs in all this corner of England.
The newspaper article suggested several causes for this
wholesale bark shedding: the drought of 1976, the recent
weather of 1979 being right for major bark renewal, or the
reduction of sulphur in the atmosphere due to cleaner air
conditions. Other suggestions are the heavy rainfall of
1978 or the hard winter of 1978/79 with its very late spring.
If it is known why plane trees indulge in bark renewal,
this might produce an answer. The cleaner air conditions
seem an unlikely cause as this would only affect town trees
but countryside trees are equally affected.
In April 1980, whilst on holiday in Italy, I observed the
plane trees of Rome displayed no more than the normal
number of bare patches which one would expect to see,
indicating a comparatively local cause for our trees in
Southern England to behave so strangely. 3ust how widespread
is this unusual behavour?
Comments from Bulletin readers would be greatly appreciated.