Introduction

Ash dieback (ADB) Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, (formerly Chalara fraxinea), will likely lead to the gradual death of most ash trees within Cheltenham borough and indeed the country. The scale of death will be greater than the impact of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s. There is no way to reduce the rate of spread of infection and the demise of these native (and exotic species) of ash trees. The council can only react to this die-back.

Evidence from northern European countries shows that around 10% of ash trees have a moderate resilience to ADB, and that only 1-2% of ash trees show a high level of tolerance. The rate of decline of infected ash trees is not possible to predict and will be influenced by factors such as soil type, moisture levels and topography. Evidence from elsewhere shows that some trees will decline and dieback much more quickly than others. Some trees die within a year whilst others take several years.

As Ash trees decline and die, the risk to persons and property increases due to the trees’ structural integrity becoming compromised due to the decay of their supporting roots as well as the shedding of limbs and branch work from the crown. The rate of loss of such structural integrity is unpredictable but is significantly hastened by secondary infection of trees by colonisation of other decay pathogens such as honey fungus.

This management plan is designed to be an opertaional working document to plan for this event so that:

  1. Adequate resources are set aside to effectively manage this scenario into the future,
  2. Public health threats as a result of the increased risk of dead and dying trees through dead/dying tree removal/pruning, are minimised,
  3. A plan for a tree natural regeneration and/or replanting to minimise the loss of the amenity and ecosystem services provided by these trees.

The anticipated loss of the overwhelming majority of ash trees will impact:

  1. Cheltenham Borough Council parks, gardens and open spaces, cemeteries, carparks, allotments and woodlands as well as council tenant individual property gardens,
  2. Gloucestershire Highways where ash trees exist on highway verge,
  3. Gloucestershire County Council and other agencies such as Network Rail, Severn Trent and other statutory undertakers,
  4. Individual property owners where ash trees exist within domestic gardens, together with
  5. Farmers and other landowners/managers

You can find more ash dieback information and resources, including how to report a sighting, on the Forest Research ash dieback web page.