Kitchen Garden Forum

A disease that has the potential to devastate the UK's ash tree population has been recorded for the first time in the UK's natural environment.

More at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20079657

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara

What it amazes me is that we should be importing ash trees at all . After all, they seed themselves all over the place without problem. On our village nature reserve, we are continually getting rid of seedlings.

This is dreadful news. I remember the devastation of Dutch Elm disease, though that wasn't a fungal disease. Like Monika, I cannot imagine why Ash trees are imported either..we have one close to our back garden and I am forever digging out seedlings. They establish quite quickly too. A few years ago, I didn't notice a seedling hidden behind a rather large Fuchsia, until it was a couple of feet high and it was a hell of a task getting it out...the root went down at least the height of the seedling/sapling.
I hope they can get it under control.
Cheers.

Say what they will but the warnings were reported as far back as 2009 in the horticultural press about Ash dieback and DEFRA played their usual game which is to sit on it and do absolutely nothing!
On many things such as the phasing out of Peat, Badger culling and certain diseases which they have managed push aside.
DEFRA is not fit for purpose and it is time for some of the staff responsible for so many errors are at the very least retired.
It appears that they are more concerned about taking any forms of disease control out of the hands of the general public and amateur gardeners in particular, and will ban something before any form of replacement is available.
Then we get such comments as made by the chairman of the Potato Council recently about gardeners spreading potato blight when as gardeners we have had our armoury so badly depleted and are now virtually powerless to control most pests. Common sense should prevail.
IMHO DEFRA must go!
JB.

My first thoughts were exactly the same as all your comments - Ash tree seedlings grow like weeds everywhere so why on earth are we paying to import them, and why was nothing done to stop importing them when this disease has been known about and causing disasterous damage in Europe for several years?

The country seems to be run by idiots.

JB & PP Hey Hey! Absolutely correct - whay wait to for it to happen - what good is that - horse bolting & stable gate comes to mind!

Westi

The quote below is from my previous posting.

Ash die back and DEFRA played their usual game which is to sit on it and do absolutely nothing!

Today it is reported that Ash Die Back was reported back in June by a Nursery in Lincolnshire but they were not allowed to dispose of the affected stock and between June and September when they were then allowed to dispose of the stock it had spread to the 50,000 trees reported to have been destroyed by fire.
The Nursery owner is now suing the government for compensation.
Could all of this outbreak been stopped back in June when it was reported.
The Horticulture Trades Association warned the Forestry Commission of their unrest about Ash Die Back in Denmark as far back as 2009.
What does it take to get those in power to get off their backsides when something serious is reported to them.
I suspect that all this near panic may well have been averted if those in power listened to highly qualified horticulturalists in the first instance.
JB.

The man from that Lincolnshire Nursery reckons that in the 3 years since 2009 when the disease was first brought to the attention of the Powers That Be, and the need to ban imports was first mentioned (and disregarded) millions of seedlings have been imported and are now planted out in gardens, parks and the countryside at large!!!

VPM
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Hi VPM,
Well at least you have managed to grasp what I said in my last posting.
Now that the damage appears to have been done they are going round like headless chickens and making out that they are finding die back in all sorts of places.
For two years I have been felling Ash trees which are volunteers in a mature Oak woodland and I have another years work at least before they are all gone. Sadly the woodland has been neglected since the late 1950's and some neglected since the end of WW1.
Logs anybody!
JB.

And the government lunacy goes on!

The environment secretary has urged the public to wash their dogs and boots and even their children after visiting wooded areas, to help stop the spread of a fungus which is killing ash trees.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20176720

I don't envy you your task JB - must be absolutely soul destroying to have to cut down all those trees when early prevention would have probably reduced the risk to British stocks, thereby negating the necessity to cut them down.

I have assumed that you are cutting them down as a preventative measure and not necessarily because they are infected with the disease? Or are Ash trees an unwelcome addition to mature Oak woodlands regardless? Please excuse my ignorance but if I don't ask I won't know

VPM
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Hi VPM,
As far as I am aware my Ash do not suffer from Die Back they are simply in the way of the Oak Trees that were originally planted some 200 odd years ago by my forebears. When we have sorted these out we will be felling Oaks and replanting with Oaks that I have produced.
I have 10,000 young Oaks and will be planting a similar amount again this year and again for quite a few years to come yet.
JB.

What is the point of DEFRA.

Shallot Man wrote:What is the point of DEFRA.

The point of DEFRA, like so many government agencies, is to give well paid and pensioned jobs to people who are so bl**dy useless they couldn't possibly survive in the real world.

Hi Solway Cropper,
I totally agree with your last posting because it seems that whatever it is DEFRA simply totally mismanage the situation. There a countless cock-ups
over the years. I reiterate; when will those empowered to look after our affairs begin to listen to very qualified people and act instead of sitting on things. With Ash Die-back I feel that there should be some early retirements expected shortly. Knowing the way things work they will probably get a knighthood for their "services to rural affairs!"
In the vernacular they are a useless load of wassocks!
JB.