Totally agree Jorn but there is no getting away from the fact that diseases like this have the potential to change the landscape of a country for a considerably long time.
Dutch Elm devastated the landscape, it is a sobering thought that a vast majority of the population dont remember what Britains hedgerows looked like pre Dutch elm.
Phytopthera or Sudden Oak Death and Massaria disease both threaten to cause significant damage to our tree stocks but thankfully seem to be staying fairly localised. The problem comes when a diesase is so species specific.... We dont have as many london planes in Bristol as London but to lose them all would be disastrous to the cities canopy cover. Imagine London without its iconic avenues of planes. Ash could be classed as a weed in Britain, to lose it would be again devastating to our canopy cover.
As you say though, nature will have its way.
It's wreaking havock with the ash trees in Holland. It quite amazing how fast one mutated fungus can completely change the landscape. And there just doesn't seem to be any cure at all.
Still, we have to put this into perspective. Diseases like this have come and gone since the dawn of time. It's just nature trying to even things out.
