Experts battle woodland killer fungus

The New Forest The New Forest

Experts are battling a killer fungus that threatens to devastate huge swathes of British woodland, including the New Forest.

Government ministers are taking urgent action to combat the deadly ash die-back disease, which could kill a third of British trees and is said to pose the biggest threat to UK woods since Dutch elm disease in the 1970s.

Cases of Chalara fraxinea have already been confirmed in Buckinghamshire and East Anglia - and experts fear it could destroy ash trees across the country.

Staff at the Forestry Commission, which manages the New Forest and other woodland areas, have been taken off their normal duties and redeployed in a bid to stamp out the disease.

A ban on importing ash trees into Britain or transporting their saplings around the country comes into force tomorrow.

Comments(11)

Brite Spark says...
10:48am Sun 28 Oct 12

Why do we have to import ash trees, I've got one at the bottom of my garden it wasn't imported. Lets cut them all down anyway and replace them with English oaks, sorted.

southy says...
11:39am Sun 28 Oct 12

BS Ash woodland, is like a Silver Birch woodland you have these types of woods before it slowly turns to Oak woodland, they provide shelter for young Oak tree to grow.
Ash is a native tree to this country.

Huffter says...
1:36pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Brite Spark wrote:
Why do we have to import ash trees, I've got one at the bottom of my garden it wasn't imported. Lets cut them all down anyway and replace them with English oaks, sorted.
When are you planning to start?

Brite Spark says...
1:38pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I've got my firewood for Nov 5th! Job done.

100%HANTSBOY says...
3:31pm Sun 28 Oct 12

First they ban smoking now they're talking about banning the import of Ashtrays,no pleasures left in life!

IronLady2010 says...
7:24pm Sun 28 Oct 12

There is a large area in the New Forest which was cordoned off over the summer and lots of trees cut down. There were big warning signs stating not to enter due to possible contamination, I wonder if this is the same issue?

cantthinkofone says...
7:29pm Sun 28 Oct 12

southy wrote:
BS Ash woodland, is like a Silver Birch woodland you have these types of woods before it slowly turns to Oak woodland, they provide shelter for young Oak tree to grow.
Ash is a native tree to this country.
Well put. "Procession" IIRC.

axeman86 says...
7:46pm Sun 28 Oct 12

IronLady2010 wrote:
There is a large area in the New Forest which was cordoned off over the summer and lots of trees cut down. There were big warning signs stating not to enter due to possible contamination, I wonder if this is the same issue?
No that would have been the phytophora ramorum infecting the rhody and larch

freefinker says...
8:00pm Sun 28 Oct 12

cantthinkofone wrote:
southy wrote:
BS Ash woodland, is like a Silver Birch woodland you have these types of woods before it slowly turns to Oak woodland, they provide shelter for young Oak tree to grow.
Ash is a native tree to this country.
Well put. "Procession" IIRC.
.. nope. You're thinking of succession.

"The sequence of communities that develops in an area from the initial stages of colonisation until a stable mature climax community is achieved”

IronLady2010 says...
8:06pm Sun 28 Oct 12

axeman86 wrote:
IronLady2010 wrote:
There is a large area in the New Forest which was cordoned off over the summer and lots of trees cut down. There were big warning signs stating not to enter due to possible contamination, I wonder if this is the same issue?
No that would have been the phytophora ramorum infecting the rhody and larch
Thanks for that info. I was interested to know what it was as I love walking through the Forest. I did read one of the signs, but with the names of these diseases, it's hard to remember for research.

IronLady2010 says...
8:07pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Interesting.........
. http://www.forestry.
gov.uk/pramorum

click2find

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