British woodland biodiversity is increasingly under threat from a range of pests and diseases, which are resulting in landscape level changes that have huge economic and environmental implications. At least 20 diseases are attacking trees native to the UK and 6 of those diseases have reached epidemic levels. 11 more diseases have been identified as a potential risk resulting from global trade and climate change.

In response to this, I designed an agar spore trap that can be used to culture mould spores for identifying fungal diseases. Participants would sign up to receive a spore sampling kit which would be tied to a tree for 2 hours, making sure to record the species of tree. The agar plates would then be sealed with tape and sent back to labs to identify if any diseases are present. Photos and results would be shared online so participants get to see a tangible output from their work. As a result of the closed loop system, components of the kit can also be sterilised and sent back out for reuse where possible.​

Similar systems are already used for identifying crop diseases and the physicality of collecting the spores makes the concept of plant health threats tangible.