LIFE Project Number LIFE12/NAT/SE/001139 FINAL Report Covering the project activities from 01/07/13 to 31/12/2018 Reporting Date 16/05/2019 LifeELMIAS Project Data Project location Visby Project start date: 01/07/2013 Project end date: 31/12/2018 Total Project duration 66 months (in months) Total budget € 4 251 755 Total eligible budget € 4 251 755 EU contribution: € 2 125 877 (%) of total costs 50 (%) of eligible costs 50 Beneficiary Data Name Beneficiary Skogsstyrelsen/Swedish Forest Agency Contact person Mrs Karin Wågström Postal address Box 1417,621 25 VISBY Visit address Visborgsallén 4 Telephone +46 (0) 498 25 85 23 Fax: - E-mail [email protected] Project Website http://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/Projektwebbar/Life- ELMIAS1/ 1. List of contents 1. List of contents ............................................................................................................... 2 2. Executive Summary (maximum 5 pages) .................................................................... 5 3. Introduction (1 page) .................................................................................................... 8 4. Administrative part (maximum 3 pages) .................................................................... 9 4.1 Description of the management system ............................................................................... 9 5. Technical part (maximum 50 pages) ......................................................................... 13 5.1. Actions .............................................................................................................................. 13 5.1.1 Action A1. Production of restoration plans .................................................................. 13 5.1.2 Action A2. Production of draft revised management plans to combat the impact of DED and ADB ............................................................................................................. 14 5.1.3 Action A3. Survey of the distribution of Ulmus ssp. within and outside of Natura 2000 areas on Gotland ........................................................................................................... 17 5.1.4 Action A4. Survey of the behaviour of Scolytus multistriatus on Gotland .................. 18 5.1.5 Action A5. Identification of dieback-resistant F. excelsior genotypes to create a database of at least 100 presumably dieback-resistant F. excelsior genotypes ............ 19 5.1.6 Action A6. Identify the DED disease agent through sampling DED elms, trapping S. multistriatus, pure culture of DED pathogen, determining the species or sub-species and genotyping the DED-pathogen .............................................................................. 21 5.1.7 Action C1. Conservation of Natura 2000 sites habitats including measures to restore structural diversity ........................................................................................................ 22 5.1.8 Action C2. Annual detection of newly DED infected trees, breeding trees and deadwood within and outside Natura 2000 sites on Gotland ....................................... 24 5.1.9 Action C3. Fell and destroy newly DED infected trees, breeding trees and deadwood within and outside Natura 2000 sites on Gotland ........................................................ 27 5.1.10 Action C4. Killing infected roots by chemical control of stumps and root suckers of Ulmus ssp. .................................................................................................................... 30 5.1.11 Action C5. Tests with wood decomposing fungi for biological treatment of risk-zone tree stumps .................................................................................................................... 32 5.1.12 Action C6. Tests with vaccination against DED in two selected areas ........................ 33 5.1.13 C7 Controlling risks for renewed invasion of DED ..................................................... 34 5.1.14 Action C8. Establishment of 100 ex situ genotypes/seed bank of dieback-resistant F. excelsior in order to replant disease-damaged Natura 2000 sites ................................ 36 5.1.15 Action D1. Monitoring the impact of project actions on biodiversity values in Natura 2000 sites ...................................................................................................................... 38 5.1.16 Action D2. Monitoring the impact of project actions on the spread of DED .............. 40 5.1.17 Action D4. Assessment of the project impact on ecosystem functions ....................... 45 5.1.18 Action F1. Project management and monitoring of project progress by SFA ............. 46 5.1.19 Action F2. Project coordination by CAB ..................................................................... 49 5.1.20 Action F3. Project coordination by MG ....................................................................... 49 5.1.21 Action F4. Project coordination by SLU ...................................................................... 49 5.1.22 Action F5. Project coordination by SEPA ................................................................... 49 5.1.23 Action F6. Audit ........................................................................................................... 50 5.1.24 Action F7. Reducing the carbon foot-print .................................................................. 51 5.1.25 Action F8. After LIFE Conservation Plan ................................................................... 52 2 5.1.26 Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 55 5.1.27 Dissemination: overview per activity ........................................................................... 56 5.2 Evaluation of Project Implemention ............................................................................ 73 5.3 Analysis of long-term benefits ..................................................................................... 83 3 List of keywords and abbreviations used in this report: SFA = Swedish Forest Agency, coordinating beneficiary MG = Region of Gotland/Municipality of Gotland SLU = Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SEPA = Swedish Environmental Protection Agency SPES = Swedish Public Employment Service CAB = County Administrative Board of Gotland GAG = Gotland Action Group against invasive alien species DED = Dutch Elm Disease ADB = Ash Dieback FSF = Federation of Swedish Farmers GIS = Geographic Information System GMC = Gotland Meadow Committee IAS = Invasive Alien Species IncRep = Inception Report, reporting date 31/03/2014 MidRep = Midterm Report ProgRep1 = Progress Report 1, reporting date 17/05/2017 ProgRep2 = Progress Report 2, reporting date 19/04/2018 RDP = Rural Development Programme SLHC = Swedish Local History Committee on Gotland 4 2. Executive Summary (maximum 5 pages) The LifeELMIAS project objectives were to: 1) Eradicate the invasive alien species (IAS) of Dutch Elm Disease (DED) from Gotland; 2) Ensure favourable conservation status and sustainability of the wooded Annex 1 habitats affected by DED and ADB by implementing complementary management actions to make the habitats more robust trees for the future.; 3) Prepare a contingency plan for if DED eradication fails in the short term. This will provide an insurance policy for the Natura 2000 sites. 4) Implement an information programme to increase the knowledge and understanding of the problems related to Invasive Alien Species and the impact on biodiversity. Key deliverables and outputs: 1) The eradication or control of DED 2) The distribution of elm mapped, all trees identified as infected with DED felled and destroyed. 3) The ecology of Scolytus multistriatus on Gotland better understood and the DNA provenance of the DED pathogen established. 4) A control programme for the import of time established 5) A database and site seed bank with at least 100 apparently disease resistant ash genotypes established 6) 25 restoration plans produced and 30 ha of Annex I habitat restored, 200 trees veteranized, 400 trees pollarded, 700 trees cleared around and 500 trees protected from grazing animals, 800 trees vaccinated and evaluated. 7) 25 baseline survey descriptions for the Natura 200 sites produced. Monitoring of mortality rates of veteran trees and their replacements as well as the health of the trees subject to the treatments. Monitoring of lichens, Ficedula albicollis and bats at the beginning and the end of the project. 8) Evaluation of the socioeconomic impact of the project as well as the assessment of the project impact on ecosystem functions. 9) 20 notice boards put up, website produced, at least 6 press releases, a leaflet and a layman’s report produced. 500 people taken part in visitor events and training sessions. A workshop with at least 100 delegates and a final conference with at least one hundred delegates. LifeELMIAS is now finished. The project has been successful in identifying and eradicating infected and risk trees, keeping DED under control, we have developed and improved methods for how to combat DED and have built capacity and knowledge within the work team. The project has also been effective in reaching out with communication to the general public and stakeholders. Three scenarios were proposed in the application: 1) DED eradicated within the timescale of the project; 2) DED cannot be eradicated from Gotland 3) DED is not eradicated by the end of the project, but the disease has been