Why does loss matter? An ethnographic analysis of the responses to Dutch Elm Disease and Ash Dieback

The UK's treescape is threatened by several diseases. The research will focus on two diseases: Dutch Elm Disease (DED), which killed the majority of mature elm trees in The research will centre on the East Sussex Elm Protection Zone, which contains the UK's only population of veteran elm, and the surrounding area. The aim is to investigate why ash and elm's loss matters to those involved in DED and ADB-related conservation and to explore a central question: What are DED and ADB-related conservation trying to conserve? Are trees being protected as: cultural heritage, a habitat, a rarity and/or a financial asset?