Ash Dieback

[Suffolkboy]

Someone asked me yesterday whether I reckoned if I cut all the branches right back to the trunk would the tree survive and to tell you the truth, I have no idea. The trunks seemed fine for the most part but I assume the whole tree has the disease?

I don't know if Chalara affects the whole tree or individual limbs but...

If the tree and adjacent trees have dieback that suggests an abundance of the fungus, then you leave large open, gaping wounds in the tree by removing the limbs? I assume that if you did manage to "cut all the disease out" reinfection would happen pretty quickly.

 

[Suffolkboy]

I can't recall where or when I read it, and I haven't tried to find a source to back up what follows, but the message I got from my reading is that some experts think the genetic make up of ash trees in the UK has diverged (mutated maybe?) somewhat from many or all of those growing on mainland Europe. They postulated that this difference in the genetic make up of the UK ash trees, those I suppose with a long family background on these islands has conferred a certain amount of improved natural resistance to ash dieback. As I recall it, the scientists involved had noted a higher proportion of ash trees in the UK either seemed to be disease free in an affected geographical area, or less badly affected than has been, and continues to be the case in mainland Europe.

As I say, this could just be a bit of speculation, or I may have misread or misunderstood the article or paper I read, or maybe even heard on the radio, seen on TV, etc. Slainte.

I have heard the same.

I hope it is true and in 15 or 20 years the resistant trees emerge and are making progress.

Can you imagine uk woodland without Ash?

 

[Suffolkboy]

Milled this trunk up yesterday guys and what really nice pieces they turn out to be.View attachment 90912View attachment 90913View attachment 90914View attachment 90914

Tease.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Can you imagine uk woodland without Ash?

It would be a bit like a woodland without elm.

 

[Trevanion]

If the tree and adjacent trees have dieback that suggests an abundance of the fungus, then you leave large open, gaping wounds in the tree by removing the limbs? I assume that if you did manage to "cut all the disease out" reinfection would happen pretty quickly.

That's a fair point, by cutting off the limbs you're basically giving the fungus a big open motorway for it to enter the tree again. Another thing I've noticed on some of the trunks while logging them up is that some have got a bluish-black mark running near the centre and this goes up to some of the branches too, not a clue if that's related or not because I know ash can have some funky colouring in it anyway.

 

[Yojevol]

Ash dieback comes up from the trunk. The leaves die because the sap is prevented from rising to the top of the tree tree. One of the other signs is a black triangular stain rising up from ground level. Also weeping lesions on branches.
An interesting report came out of France a few months ago which found that trees in a group are much more vulnerable than individuals - you might call it Arborial Distancing
Brian

 

[Trevanion]

Here's an interesting find, I've been burning the trash and one of the trees we dropped inadvertently knocked an oak branch off at the same time. The ash leaves were green at that time but now they're black and almost look like they've been dead a long time whilst the oak leaves still look pretty fresh. Again, Whether that has something to do with the dieback, I haven't a clue.

Here's some more photos of inside a dieback tree:

 

[Oddbod]

Pretty much all the ash here in West Cumbria appears affected.
Sadly, Ennerdale valley particularly so over the past year, with even the younger saplings beginning to die.

 

[johnbaz]

I have a Pear tree and an Apple tree in my garden that are full of diseases, I'm thinking of taking the pear tree down to about five feet and making a bird table of it!, The Apple tree I took down to a similar height last year, This year buds started appearing so I sprayed them with Roseclear Ultra and the leaves emerged nicer than normal!, I've not look at it recently though!

Also, When we bought our house in 1990, There were two small conifer trees growing in the front garden, Around five or six feet tall, Fast forward to around 2010 and this is what they grew in to!

It was like they'd sprung up overnight, I didn't notice how much they'd ascended until I went out with the camera!!

A mate at work also ran a business removing trees and generally clearing hedges etc, They charged me £500 to get them down to ground level and remove all the waste!, Pretty sure it would be at least double that if i'd looked in the yellow pages!!

The one on the left had almost been blown down in around 2000 and was quite bent but all the new growrth went straigh up after, When they brought it down a section at a time, One piece almose fell off when he was only part way through! The high winds had cracked it almost halfway through and it was dead and rotted in the centre!!

Oh, There was a smaller Picea that had self set too, He whipped that down too and it went through his massive shredder!!


John

 

[topchippyles]

I have a Pear tree and an Apple tree in my garden that are full of diseases, I'm thinking of taking the pear tree down to about five feet and making a bird table of it!, The Apple tree I took down to a similar height last year, This year buds started appearing so I sprayed them with Roseclear Ultra and the leaves emerged nicer than normal!, I've not look at it recently though!

Also, When we bought our house in 1990, There were two small conifer trees growing in the front garden, Around five or six feet tall, Fast forward to around 2010 and this is what they grew in to!

It was like they'd sprung up overnight, I didn't notice how much they'd ascended until I went out with the camera!!

A mate at work also ran a business removing trees and generally clearing hedges etc, They charged me £500 to get them down to ground level and remove all the waste!, Pretty sure it would be at least double that if i'd looked in the yellow pages!!

The one on the left had almost been blown down in around 2000 and was quite bent but all the new growrth went straigh up after, When they brought it down a section at a time, One piece almose fell off when he was only part way through! The high winds had cracked it almost halfway through and it was dead and rotted in the centre!!

Oh, There was a smaller Picea that had self set too, He whipped that down too and it went through his massive shredder!!


John

Old christmas trees they would have been. Larch or douglas fir looking at the photos

 

[Sheptonphil]

A great shame, but we lose this fine specimen this Friday

, Ash die back and suspected Honey Fungus.

 

[Oddbod]

I spent the afternoon removing all the <3" branches from the plum tree in my garden, as it appeared to be on its last legs. This was confirmed by the stain & rot present in the centre of most main branches.
On Thursday, the damson goes too, as it's in a similar state.

 

[Farm Labourer]

Some people should not be allowed to breed.

 

[Richard_C]

Just back from a short trip to Wharfedale. Yesterdays walk took me through Grass Woods, twixt Grassington and Kettlewell, a large mixed ancient deciduous wood. Sadly there is a lot of Ash dieback, most trees seem infected - young and old. The Wildlife Trust notice says they will fell the ones near paths for safety, some down already and others marked with orange dots. Bit like the ceremony of pinning an "X" on the heart of someone in front of the firing squad. They will leave the others for nature to take its course. It really is mixed and by my casual observation ash might make up 15% of the total woodland. All a bit sad.

 

[Droogs]

Surely it would be better to remove all infected trees rather than leave them there. Would that not mean that any new growth will just get infected too? I don't know much about this disease

 

[Trevanion]

Surely it would be better to remove all infected trees rather than leave them there. Would that not mean that any new growth will just get infected too? I don't know much about this disease

Knowing the local council it probably takes ten people one week per tree to write up the risk assessment

 

[Richard_C]

Surely it would be better to remove all infected trees rather than leave them there. Would that not mean that any new growth will just get infected too? I don't know much about this disease

I'm just reporting what the sign said, I suspect the Wildlife Trust (which is not the Council) has thought this through. Fallen trees give habitat for all kinds of fungi and bugs, and shelter for small mammals. I think the spread has gone to far and too fast to arrest, and the 10% or so resistant trees will survive regardless. Maybe its best to put resources into breeding from those (as is happening I believe) and replanting rather than trying to hold back the unstoppable.

 

[Yojevol]

I don't know much about this disease

Find out everything about it HERE