The Death Of The Ash Tree?

Image courtesy of: Matthew Common- http://instagram.com/mattycbeme.  

There are an estimated 80 million Ash trees in the UK (the third most populous species after Birch and Larch). However, recent findings from environmental organisations suggest that 90% of the current Ash population will be eradicated within the next decade.

A shadow is looming - the fungal disease Chalara fraxiena has made its way across mainland Europe to the shores of the British Isles. The changing season makes it more difficult to spot for signs of disease, but if you look closely - in certain parts of the country - you will be able to spot trees with dark lesions, dying leaves. The disease affects mature trees by reducing the numbers of twigs and branches at the crown, giving them a strange spiky-topped appearance.

The loss of Ash Trees on our landscape will have a severe and long-lasting impact. In some areas of the country, Ash Trees dominate as 'hedgerow trees'. They are the main species of tree planted in hedgerow's along our farmland. Such trees provide a valuable habitat for plants and animals. In particular, it is thought that certain species of Ash-dependent Lichen (an organism consisting of fungus and algae) could disappear altogether. These impacts, of course, would deeply hamper the government's post-2010 targets of conserving and enhancing the UK's biodiversity.

On a positive note: scientists in Denmark and the UK have found that not all Ash Trees succumb to the disease. In fact, 2% of the British Ash Tree population are estimated to be genetically resistant to the strain. At present, scientists in Denmark are collecting the seeds of trees which have not been infected and are hoping to plant new, disease-resistant trees.

Regardless, the disease is spreading fast within the UK, with incidences having increased rapidly since the outbreak was first discovered in areas of East Anglia in October 2012. As of the 15th November, there have been 200 confirmed cases of Chalara fraxiena reported to the Forestry Commission. Of this total, 116 were cases of the disease occurring in natural woodland. Moreover, the disease is thought to have spread not just from infected imports but also through wind-borne spores; which can survive for extended periods of time and move up to 20-30 km per year (Forestry Commission, 2012).

The rapid pace and character of the disease could mean that, despite the best efforts of the government and environmental bodies to control and stop the spread of the disease, many Ash Trees (particularly younger trees) will leave a large, empty space in our countryside. It will likely be many years before woodland and Ash-dependant plant, animal and insect populations are able to recover.


If you want to know more about the disease and what solutions are being put forward then please head to The Woodland Trust's specialist prevention website- www.treedisease.co.uk.

There is also information available from The Forestry Commission: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara. 

Lincolnshire's Missing Woodland

Statistics from The Woodland Trust show that Lincolnshire is one of the least wooded counties in the United Kingdom, with there being an average of 4.2% coverage. This is less than half the national average of 10% and below the recommended average of 15%.

These are worrying figures as woodland has a vital role to play in our environment. This includes: limiting the damage caused by floods, supporting local wildlife, preventing soil erosion and - perhaps most significantly - acting as a sink for our carbon emissions, thus lessening the impacts of global climate change.

Lincolnshire is a county in which the economic livelihood is dependent on agricultural output. Estimates from the Lincolnshire Research Observatory (LRO) show that the food and farming industry employs 10% of people who live in the county and that the economic reliance on this sector is four times the national average (LEFM, 2006). From this it is difficult to see how enough land could be spared to meet the recommended target of 15% without local farmers and communities suffering.

Nevertheless, a recent report by the Forestry Commission has suggested one way in which economic and environmental concerns could be equated. The Forestry Commission puts forward the idea that we should create and encourage the planting of small woodland areas on arable land. This includes: planting trees and other shrubbery (around farm buildings), tracks, storage yards and water courses. This proposal would not encroach upon available crop-planting land and, instead, could  increase the arability and profitability of the land.

This is because wooded areas help stabilise the soil, thus protecting land from soil erosion and nutrient run-off into rivers and streams. In areas prone to flooding, woodland can also protect against crop damage by soaking up excess water. This may be particularly relevant to agricultural areas near the coastline, who face the risk of storm surges due to the changing climate.

With the additional threats posed to Woodland by the fungal disease Chalara Franxiena (Ash dieback), it is essential that the Forestry Commission and other government bodies work together to advance all current Farm Woodland Schemes (FWS) and the English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) in Lincolnshire and across the rest of the UK.