Ash die back..

[Nick Gibbs]

Government bashing aside, the important thing is that good ash is used appropriately, rather than having it all burnt (for firewood or on pyres). So try getting hold of some locally and use it for furniture making etc...

Nick

 

[Sgian Dubh]

The report I saw on the TV on Sunday, said that actually the forestry commission had in fact imported ( cheap)infected saplings from abroad, although there is no test for it, it begs the question why they didn’t grow the saplings from UK stock?

One reason for the imports seems to be because there aren't enough tree nurseries in the UK to grow enough saplings from seed to meet demand. As I understand it, seeds have been transported from the UK to nurseries in mainland Europe where they are, or were, germinated and grown on to young saplings. Subsequently these saplings were exported back to the UK for planting. I heard something about it on the radio, possibly the BBCs Farming Today at about 5:45 am, and I would have been only half awake, so I'm not 100 percent sure of the accuracy of the slant on the story. Anyway, I checked out this half remembered report and found some supporting information about it near the bottom of the page at this link: http://ntpressoffice.wordpress.com/2012 ... raxinea-2/ Slainte.

 

[SteveB43]

It sounds like there is almost an inevitability about this, despite any 'Authorities' action or inaction, given the high incidence in Europe and effect of wind dispertion..
+1 for using Ash a lot more, I've a small cyclinder type bit that was cut from the tree in the garden a few years back, it's like iron now... I've taken a sliver to use as a wedge in the sledge hammer handle i'm replacing..

Given the increasing movement of materials around the world, distances between infected and disease free sites and locations have shrunk., Back to the grow, source and use your own locally then...

 

[Nick Gibbs]

We have a list of operators of mobile sawmills on the Living Woods magazine website, so if you know of an ash (or any other tree) that's coming down and could be planked up it might be worth giving them a call. They also sometimes have stocks of timber and interesting cuts.

Mobile sawmill operators can go on the list for free. The idea is to promote the use of local wood.

Nick

 

[SteveB43]

...and just reading in today's Telegraph, that might have been part of the problem, imported seeds and saplings being passed off as locally sourced

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/9650427/Emergency-meetings-to-save-the-ash-trees.html

Thanks for the mobile sawmills list Nick, ...of course the tree would have to come down first...

hopefully my tree, isolated as it is, down the bottom of the garden by itself, and in a valley will escape...

Cheers!

 

[RogerS]

I sometimes wonder what we're storing up for ourselves when you look at all the diseased plants going into the green bin at the recycling centre.....to be converted into compost and resold.......

 

[dickm]

I sometimes wonder what we're storing up for ourselves when you look at all the diseased plants going into the green bin at the recycling centre.....to be converted into compost and resold.......

It's not even just the diseased ones that can cause problems; Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed, that imported Pondweed etc, etc, etc. Not to mention Leylandii........................

 

[bugbear]

I think you might struggle to find one simply because all Govts, by definition, leave things until the last moment.

That's a frankly bizarre statement, especially the "by definition" part; would you care to justify it?

BugBear

Just being my usual cynical self!

Fair enough. I'll dismiss it as hyperbole then.

BugBear

 

[RogerS]

I think you might struggle to find one simply because all Govts, by definition, leave things until the last moment.

That's a frankly bizarre statement, especially the "by definition" part; would you care to justify it?

BugBear

Just being my usual cynical self!

Fair enough. I'll dismiss it as hyperbole then.

BugBear

Fair enough although you must admit that there is an element of truth in the statement. Most governments seem to procrastinate on the seemingly obvious.