Christmas tree pests and weeds The pathogen often makes Douglas fir trees unsalable as Christmas trees and affects the Christmas tree farming industry. Douglas firs are also affected by "Phaeocryptopus gaumanni" which causes Swiss needlecast. Red band needle blight is a fungal disease which affects coniferous trees, particularly pine, with a worldwide distribution. The disease is caused by the fungi "Dothistroma septosporum". Since the late 1990s its appearance in the United Kingdom has increased, among the most affected species is Corsican pine and the disease has been a significant problem in Thetford Forest. Though the disease spread rapidly during September 2007 Christmas tree growers remained
Fraser Noble Fraser Noble Sir Thomas Alexander Fraser Noble MBE (29 April 1918 – 21 August 2003) was a Scottish academic. He was former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester and then Principal of the University of Aberdeen. He was born in Cromdale in Strathspey, Scotland. His father was Simon Noble of Grantown-on-Spey in the former Moray, and his mother was Jeanie Graham from Largs in North Ayrshire. His father died when he was eight. He had a brother. He attended Nairn Academy. He went to the University of Aberdeen when aged only 16. He graduated with a degree in Classics in