Chalara disease found in young ash trees

Greengage

Thought people might be interested in this another problem arrives on our shores.
http://www.merrionstreet.ie/index.php/2012/10/chalara-disease-found-in-young-ash-trees/

tippben · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:51 am Post subject:

It's now been found in several sites in the UK, not just in nursery stock and recent plantings. "The East Anglia outbreak was confirmed by plant scientists from the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) at the the Woodland Trust's Pound Farm woodland in Suffolk, and Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Lower Wood reserve, in Ashwellthorpe.

In a statement, the Trust said that the fungal infection had been found in "mature ancient woodland and woodland creation areas on our estate". " from the BBC.

Here is some identification from the Forestry Commission : http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/pest-alert-ash-dieback-2012.pdf/$FILE/pest-alert-ash-dieback-2012.pdf
At this time of year, the most obvious sign will be the bark lesions. Watch out for it. It's a real danger.

Edit: breaking news is that the UK has banned the import of all ash trees.

Gautama · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:48 pm Post subject:

I was reading about this today in one of the UK Sunday papers. Sounds serious. The authorities have already destroyed 100,000 trees.
In Denmark over 90% of their ash trees were wiped out, about 10 years ago.

On the plus side, this fungus live harmlessly on ash trees in Asia, so with some R&D it might be possible to come up with resistant strains or some sort of remedy.

Gautama · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject:

From Morning Ireland, this morning:

http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20121029,3424582,3424582,flash,257

Ireland is banning the import of ash plants and seeds from Europe. Firewood is unaffected.

Serious emphasis on the hurley industry!
Good to know that we are to be self sufficient in ash (for hurleys) in four years time.

medieval knievel · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:53 am Post subject:

that's if this disease doesn't hit - they seem to have visited sites affected by the import, but we don't yet know if this disease has made it outside the sites affected.
i think it travelled at 30km per year through europe.

tippben · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:11 pm Post subject:

Guatama. Good news of a sort. Are you seriously telling us that Ireland imports ash for fuel? If so, that's mad Ted. If they're still allowing possibly infected wood in, that's lunacy!

medieval knievel · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:04 pm Post subject:

according to the interview on morning ireland, they're allowing wood in with a moisture content of less than 20% - most ash used to make hurleys is imported.

Gautama · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:37 pm Post subject:

Gautama · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:41 pm Post subject:

medieval knievel · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:22 pm Post subject:

new scientist have a good intro to the disease here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22449-are-europes-ash-trees-finished.html?full=true

worth noting that we probably won't be able to keep this out through import embargoes. i'd say we'll just have to let it run its course.

tippben · Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:42 am Post subject:

Ha Ha! Yes Guatama. I actually got paid to collect seeds of many trees. One of the more pleasant jobs I've had! Later, in another job I had customers with a planting list specifying local native trees, that had to be OK'd by a council tree officer. When it was pointed out that this was impossible, as all the saplings came from Belgium, and they couldn't guarantee the provenance of the seed, he changed his tune, and decided that the Pinus pinea, grown in Pistoa, Italy was fine. Native trees grown from seed in Wales weren't though....