Suzy giving a presentation on the Centre for Forest Protection (CFP) at Plant Health 2026 © Crown Copyright. Centre for Forest Protection
This summer Suzy, our Education & Training Lead, attended and presented at the Plant Health 2026 conference – read her reflections below!
Dr Suzanne Sancisi-Frey, CFP Education & Training Lead
In July, I had the opportunity to attend the Plant Health 2026 Conference, hosted by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) in York. The two-day event brought together representatives from across the UK and Ireland’s plant health community, providing an excellent opportunity to learn more about the roles, priorities and activities of organisations working to protect plant health.
The conference was designed to foster greater understanding and collaboration between government bodies, research organisations and agencies involved in plant health. Professor Nicola Spence, the UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer at Defra, delivered the opening presentation and set the scene for two days of discussion, knowledge sharing and networking.
A wide range of organisations were represented, including Forest Research (FR), the Forestry Commission (FC), the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew and Edinburgh, Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), The Plant Health Centre, and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), alongside several other organisations working across the plant health sector.
One of the conference sessions focused on “Who’s Who in Plant Health?”, during which attendees delivered short presentations introducing their organisations and areas of work. I gave a flash presentation on the Centre for Forest Protection (CFP), highlighting our research priorities as well as our education and training programme. Dr Lisa Ward also gave a presentation showcasing the work of Forest Research.
The scientific programme covered a remarkably broad range of topics, demonstrating the diversity of approaches being used to address plant health challenges. Presentations ranged from genomics and big data applications through to innovative public engagement approaches, including the use of poetry to connect with communities that are often in plant health discussions.
(Left to right) Dr James Hitchcock, Dr Emma Hinton, Dr Mariella Marzano, Dr Suzanne Sancisi-Frey (me), Dr Barley-Rose Collier-Letcher, Dr Katherine Lester, Dr Cerian Webb, and Dr Lisa Ward (all Forest Research) at Plant Health 2026.
Several presentations were particularly relevant to the tree health sector. Prof Richard Buggs (Kew) presented CFP-funded research on ash genomics, whilst Dr Emma Hinton (FR) discussed the development of a national conversation on plant health. Dr James Hitchcock (FR) outlined current research on the Eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and the distribution of spruce whilst. Dr Cerian Webb (FR) presented work on the use of atmospheric dispersion modelling to investigate the potential pathways by which the beetle arrived in the UK. In addition, a poster presentation by Dr Barley-Rose Collier-Letcher (FR) showcased research into the use of drones for quarantine tree pest control.
Alongside the formal presentations, there were tours of the facilities, as well as a number of networking sessions hosted by colleagues including FR’s Dr Mariella Marzano. These provided further opportunities to discuss shared challenges, exchange ideas, and explore ways in which different organisations could work together more effectively to strengthen plant health outcomes.
Overall, I found Plant Health 2026 to be an engaging, and informative event, and it was great to represent the CFP and FR. I came away with a greater understanding of the wider plant health landscape, and I hope the event will be held again in the future, possibly with an even wider range of participating organisations!
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