[Closed] Ash Die Back - not as bad as feared.

Meanwhile councils and wildlife trusts continue to chop down any Ash tree remotely near to humans for fear they may have the disease but they haven't checked or may some day get the disease. In case they fall on someone. Despite some insisting this destroys the chance for more tolerant or immune trees to thrive.

@tjmoore you can just cut an Ash tree down and expect it to die, they coppice like billy-o, unless they've used Glyphosate on the cut stump, it'll come back, sure is eggs is eggs.

@mucker What the f... can you just re-type that. My eyes are bleeding from trying to read it. Cheers

What the f… can you just re-type that. My eyes are bleeding from trying to read it. Cheers

try to imagine Mucker telling you that to your face - while jabbing you with his pipe for emphasis. Its all a little bit too close for comfort really.  'You mark my words!' echos behind you as you go back about your business. You can't even remember what your business is anymore - you think you only asked for directions but now all you can think about is trees and eggs and something about Billy.

You shouldn't have strayed from the path.

😂

I think the row of ash trees on our border and the hundreds of saplings they generate each year are single handedly responsible for stopping the decline of the species.
I never understood why anyone would cut down a healthy tree untill dealing with ash.
Obviously I'm being selfish they are needed for biodiversity in woodland

Whilst ash does coppice well and seeds prolifically, the youngest growth is more susceptible. Once the fungus is present it will release is spores from the leaf litter, intensifying its effect. Warm and wet conditions are ideal for the fungus. This means particular parts of the country suffer it more, such as the Western areas.
Older established trees in more open locations are less vulnerable, but it is not something that trees on the whole survive from.

The other concern is the nature of decay, the longer they are left, the more dangerous they become to fell as they lose structural integrity, ruling out climbing and favouring machine cutting. There is no visible cue for where the disease is in a limb, I have seen foot long logs green at one end and the other end looks as if it could have been in a log shed for 2 years.
Hence you are seeing a lot of work on roadsides and residential areas where the chances and risk of a strike are far higher and the work easier and safer to do pre emotively, and to use a current term, flatten the curve, MEWPS and tree shears will be in demand in a few years otherwise.
Less so a problem in field hedges and woodlands, the latter more susceptible though due to density of population. Certainly changing our thinning plans.

Genetic tests were carried out a couple of years ago on the DNA of British and European ash trees, and British trees are a different species, and far more resistant to ash dieback disease.

Anything planted or seeded from stuff planted in the last 20 years, particularly if done on the cheap or in bulk, is probably of European origin. Not a lot of local provenance planting is done.

A short reprieve probably.... Emerald ash borer will kill any that remain after chalara.

Here in Wales there is masses of it, you can see it in most areas, trees with the outermost branches dead and dying-back. Not just big trees but saplings as well. It appears to be here to stay unfortunately, as Ash is a great tree for wildlife, and having quite a basic bark, it supports a lot of mosses and lichens that you do not get on oak. But more dead wood in the countryside also has benefits for those organisms that thrive in dead and decaying wood, many of which are uncommon or rare.

But more dead wood in the countryside also has benefits for those organisms that thrive in dead and decaying wood, many of which are uncommon or rare.

mcmoonter?

Emerald ash borer will kill any that remain after chalara.

Again, 8 years ago it was predicted that was on its way here through Europe. That also hasn't happened in the anticipated time frame.

I'm just going to enjoy the fact I can still see Ash trees at a time they could all have been gone.