Canine powers of detection harnessed to save UK forests

Sniffer dogs are usually found looking for contraband at airports and railway stations, but the government is now dispatching trained hounds to find forest-harming pests.

- Helena Horton

A dog has been used for the first time in the UK to successfully identify tree disease. Researchers from Forest Research used a trained spanador - a cocker spaniel labrador cross - to find the tree pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.

Six-year-old Ivor the dog achieved an 89% successful first-time detection rate of the pest. This is an important finding as the disease, spread by rain, causes the death of trees and has led to thousands of hectares of felling around the UK.