Years to Wait Before Replacing ‘Dangerous’ Diseased Ash Trees, Says Trust

Published on: 15 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 21 Jun, 2019

Kings Road, Shalford two years after the ash “cull” – Photo GBC

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

It could be six years before trees are planted to replace those felled due to Ash dieback, Surrey county councillors were told this week.

Many residents questioned the need to fell hectares of trees across Surrey in January and February this year and if it was profit-driven.

But councillors heard experts had advised Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) to remove the trees and the profit was not “massive”.

Dieback is a fatal fungal disease found in ash trees and was first confirmed in the UK in 2012.

SWT felled ash trees within 30 metres of footpaths, ones deemed life-threatening if they toppled. The areas are being monitored for re-growth or to see if replacements need to be planted, the Mole Valley and Surrey County Council Local Committee was told on Wednesday.

Zoe Channon, SWT liaison officer, said Norbury Park was one of the worst-affected sites and the experts from the Forestry Commission and Natural England felt selective felling was the best option, so licences were granted.

She added: “It’s been quite an emotional topic both for the members of public and for us. I think certain members of the public were not happy that was granted.”

The SWT tackled only 7.29 hectares of the 20 hectares given approval to be culled and is still awaiting clearance on trees where bats could be roosting. These are marked with the letter B.

The felled logs were sent as chippings to Kent Power Station or as furniture saw-logs, but Ms Channon said the SWT “only just about broke even” on the project. “Not a massive profit was made, contrary to popular belief.”

And the Trust will have to wait five to six years before any replacement trees can be planted as coppicing is monitored.

An infected ash in Chilworth – Photo GBC

Ms Channon added: “We need to see what natural regeneration comes through in those areas. If by year five or six they are not getting the regeneration figures they want then it will be back-planted.”

Cllr David Harper, Mole Valley District Council member, said the Trust needed to “restore credibility”, adding: “The National Trust took a different approach to felling trees and the residents in general believe your (SWT) approach was simply to maximise opportunity.

“Maybe you didn’t make any money but maybe the motivation was to make money.”

Council officers said our high percentage of ash trees means there is potential significant impact on the tree cover in Surrey.

“We expect an increase in removal of symptomatic and dead and dying trees in high-target areas such as busy roads where there is high risk of causing injury or damage from tree failure,” they said.

“Tree removal from less busy areas will be kept to a minimum, but there will be a significant proportion of dead and dying trees in such areas for some time where these trees do not represent an unacceptable risk of harm. Dead-wood is an extremely valuable habitat in its own right so this is also a short-term positive impact for lots of wildlife too where it can be retained.”

Evidence shows there is a higher proportion of disease-tolerant trees in the UK than in Europe. This means the remaining tolerant trees should eventually recolonise and replace trees lost.

Work will continue removing all affected lower-value ash trees but retaining the few high-value mature, veteran or ancient trees not yet in a dangerous condition and which appear to be showing some level of tolerance.

Mature trees have a higher level of tolerance than younger ones and so have more chance of surviving, these trees have the highest ecological value and they take the longest amount of time to replace like-for-like (often hundreds of years).

The first areas on Guildford BC-owned land that were affected by ash dieback were in the Shalford, Compton and Merrow areas where felling was done along the main roads over winter 2016/17. (Picture above shows Kings Road in Shalford two years after ash dieback cull.)

At present symptoms of Ash Die Back are present in a large number of trees at the Chilworth Gunpowder Mills (Picture showing affected trees) and in the Merrow area.