Ash dieback fungus found in UK

[Laurentius]

Do wonder what impact it'll have. And people/places like Morris of Dunsford that use Dartmoor ash for their tool (billhook etc) handles.

I expect they will find a glut, just as there was a lot elm about at one time. When it's gone they will have to use something else, simples.

 

[Harvestman]

DoE now confirms the fungus has been found at 52 locations in the UK.

I think it is already too late to stop it spreading, and I'm looking at ash trees with sadness now.

 

[treadlightly]

Bad, bad news.

 

[Stringmaker]

DoE now confirms the fungus has been found at 52 locations in the UK.

I think it is already too late to stop it spreading, and I'm looking at ash trees with sadness now.

Me too.

30% of our forests; 30%!

 

[Elen Sentier]

Me too.

30% of our forests; 30%!

And me ... wonder if saving seeds will enable growing again eventually ???

 

[stuey]

New video showing ident in the field.

http://youtu.be/8sI7hgFZ-4g

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

 

[treadlightly]

Woke up to a piece on Radio 4 this morning which quoted someone who said the authorities had been warned in March to stop the import of European ash but ignored it.
Whether that would have stopped it is debatable but it would have helped.

 

[Stringmaker]

Woke up to a piece on Radio 4 this morning which quoted someone who said the authorities had been warned in March to stop the import of European ash but ignored it.
Whether that would have stopped it is debatable but it would have helped.

They were warned back in 2009.

The Horticultural Trades Association had been on a trip to Denmark and clocked the disease there.

The expert view now (FC) is that the outbreaks in mature trees in East Anglia and Kent is probably from wind carried spores, whereas the rest of the distribution is from moving diseased imported nursery stock around the country.

 

[treadlightly]

So it sounds like import bans would have been no use. Once it's here, it's here and no one can stop it spreading.

 

[Stringmaker]

I don't think it seems that black-and-white.

There is a possibility that with an early import ban the outbreak in the mature trees would still be localised to the Eastern part of the country. As of this morning, the vast majority of the confirmed 52 infected sites are young/nursery stock which suggests that we have spread the problem infinitely faster than nature would.

 

[treadlightly]

So is there a chance do you think that without the imports it could have been contained in southern and eastern areas?

 

[Stringmaker]

I wouldn't go so far as to say contained, but it may at least have bought some time to understand the disease and possibly treat it.

"SCIENTISTS believe they might have found a cure for ash dieback, a disease that threatens to devastate British woodlands. Politicians are now calling for trials of the potential antidote to be fast-tracked so that it can be tested before ash trees lose their leaves for winter."

Read more: http://www.theweek.co.uk/environmen...nt-urged-fast-track-trials-cure#ixzz2BLgPcOxC

 

[swright81076]

Anyone with android, there's an app to report, identify and track this fungus.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.iasess.ashtag

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[phil1981]

there is a vid showing you what to look for.


http://ashtag.org/

 

[stuey]

Map of confirmed infection sites published today along with lots of other useful info regarding ident, and how to report it.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara

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[Geoff Dann]

I was out looking for mushrooms in Brighton this morning and found my first case of dieback.

 

[treelore]

Well I’llthrow in my 2 pence worth, the true extent of the disease will not been knownuntil June/July when the trees are in full swing when the disease can be identifiedeasily. The problem at the moment is the knee jerk reaction to sightings whenall we are seeing are damage from frost and the onset of winter, so I’m sorryto say if things look bad now it’s going to get a whole lot worse L
There are waysof treating the fungal disease which need to be address now or in early spring,we need to be proactive rather than reactive as the normal approach. We standto lose 80 million/ 30% of are woodland if things are not done and done quickly.An advantage with ash is it has a better genetic make-up and things can bebread to become resistant. Some of the coverage and facts given pot with ADBhave been reported wrong or covered over (I’ll leave that down to you todecide) the first case of ADB were seen in March this year in the UK, and someof the first confirmed case where found later on in march and April. The spreadof ADB has been known by various governments since 1999, coming across from Europeand we are surprised this happened now??!!
I know for a fact that case of ADB were beingconfirmed in April as I’m sad to say I was one of those people contacted byFERA. I was told by phone that we had purchased infected stock and that itneeded to be inspected and destroyed. When the chap turned up I showed him the8 saplings I had planted in a local spinney, they came back clear. The FERAchap then bagged up and went to leave when I said you best look at the other inthe healing in bed. His reply was what others?!! his mouth dropped when I toldhim that I had another 330 saplings !!! this and some other I had planted on afarm all were confirmed to be infected. The nursery I had purchased them fromdid not inform us which they are required by law and told FERA the amounts sold!!
So we mustwait and see what happens in summer and just hope and pray thing aren’t that bad.So I ask all of you that read this please when buying trees ask where they are sourcedor better still grow your own. As a Arbourist and Forester I’d hoped not to seethis in my life or the next generations….

Treelore

 

[Stringmaker]

It hasn't gone away...

I was shown around a little campsite near me which is in a wooded part of the county and has (had) a mixture of young and more mature ash trees.

All the young ones have died since the autumn, whilst a couple of the mature ones have definite symptoms. As feared, now the trees are in leaf the true appalling extent can be seen.

Very sad