Farmers urged to check trees for ash disease
Farmers are being urged to check their ash trees and wooded areas this weekend for signs of a deadly fungal disease.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) urged its members and all tree owners to look for cases of Chalara fraxinea – the fungus which has wiped out 90% of ash trees in Denmark.
CLA president Harry Cotterell said: “DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson has specifically asked CLA members to get out this weekend to check on whether their ash trees have Chalara. He wants to get a more accurate feel of how widespread the problem is.
“Cases need to be identified within the next 48 hours before any more leaves fall. Once the leaves have gone, the fungus is much harder to detect.”
About 100,000 trees have been destroyed in the UK since the disease was discovered in East Anglia. It is feared that the disease could kill up to a third of Britain’s woodland.
“Cases need to be identified within the next 48 hours before any more leaves fall. Once the leaves have gone, the fungus is much harder to detect.”
Harry Cotterell, CLA president
The Forestry Commission is compiling a spotter’s guide to help woodland owners identify the symptoms of ash dieback and record the spread of the disease on a national database.
The guide to identifying the disease explains the most obvious symptoms of Chalara fraxinea are leaf loss, blackened leaves and necrotic lesions on the twigs, branches and main stem.
Mr Paterson chaired the government’s Cobra emergency committee meeting on Friday (2 November) to discuss how to tackle the problem.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Paterson called for a large survey of 3,000 test areas.
“We have had an assessment of the state of the disease,” he told ITV News.
“We also had an assessment of the current survey where we are looking at 2,900 10km squares right across the United Kingdom.
“This was a meeting that brought in the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland showing that, right across the UK, we are determined to work together.
“We also had a presentation on possible solutions – at the moment we do not have a cure for the disease – and also measures we might take having established the survey, which should be completed by the middle of next week.”
Ministers have already announced restrictions on the import of ash trees into the UK and on the movement of trees and timber in and out of East Anglia to prevent further spread of the disease.
Tips for spotting ash tree disease