A MASS felling operation has begun in Kent in a bid to stop the eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle from 'wreaking havoc' across the country. 

Authorities have confirmed work is underway to eradicate Ips typographus before it travels north of the border, where it could spell disaster for Scotland's forestry industry. 

Having been identified at 13 sites across Kent and East Sussex, the pest typically attacks spruce trees, beginning with weaker trees before spreading to mature healthy trees, but is also a threat to other pines. All Norway spruce trees within 300 metres of any tree where the bug has been detected will be felled.

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Nicola Spence, UK chief plant health officer with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), told Farming Today on BBC Radio 4: “Larger hectarages of spruce, particularly in places like Scotland, that’s what we’re trying to protect.

"But we do think that we can manage these sort of single sites and eradicate the beetle from each of those."

The beetle was first discovered at a site in east Kent in 2018 and was thought to have been eradicated by felling of trees infested with the bug along with strict timber and tree movement restrictions.

The beetles often live in dead trees but if their numbers increase they can move to living plants, where they lay their eggs under the bark. The larvae then eat the wood until the tree becomes unstable and dies. It is believed that the latest infestation arrived in the UK by flying across the Channel from mainland Europe during a period of warm weather in June. Forestry Commission experts believe that the latest outbreak can brought under control.

READ MORE: Forestry Commission acts on European spruce bark beetle tree pest findings in Kent

The Plant Health Centre of Scotland has previously said that the establishment of the beetle in forests in or close to Scotland would be of “major concern” to conservationists and wood-based industries and could damage investor confidence in the economy. The centre urged vigilance about the beetle after it was spotted in Kent in July.

Anyone who suspects they may have seen a bark beetle has been asked to report it to the Forestry Commission through its Tree Alert portal.