Pragmatic approach to dealing with Ash trees

[Woodworks]

So we have 3km of Devon hedgerow with a fair bit of ash in it. We let all or hedges grow tall and then harvest for fuel as opposed to flailing. Up until this year, Chalara was not especially evident but sadly this spring it's looking pretty widespread. From what I have read we are supposed to leave them standing and hope some survive (5%) but is coppicing now going to make much difference to their long term chances? Not keen on losing many tonnes of potential firewood or cleaning up the mess of dead trees. Its evident many woodlands are clearing ash in advance of Chalara if the amount of ash in the firewood market is anything to go by so wondering about doing the same. 

[slack ma girdle]

Genetically Ash is very diverse, so there will be resilient trees out there, knee jerk sanatising felling will remove these trees. But at the end of the day they are your trees, and your choice.

[Woodworks]

3 minutes ago, slack ma girdle said:

Genetically Ash is very diverse, so there will be resilient trees out there, knee jerk sanatising felling will remove these trees. But at the end of the day they are your trees, and your choice.

They are of an age they would normally coppice and regrow. I just have no idea how they will react with Chalara in the equation.

[slack ma girdle]

Chalara does kill very effectively regrow. One of the woods that I manage that was thinned three years ago, I have found one or two ash stumps with viable regrow within the compartment.

[Woodworks]

1 minute ago, slack ma girdle said:

Chalara does kill very effectively regrow. One of the woods that I manage that was thinned three years ago, I have found one or two ash stumps with viable regrow within the compartment.

So is it more vulnerable regrowing or left mature? I know stuff all about tree health so apologies if the answer is obvious

[MattyF]

Give the things a chance !! I’ve seen them not come out until mid June ! Every one jumping on this fell it it’s got challara needs to chill out... even if it has we need to give the resilient ones a chance, any way felling hedge row trees now in prime nesting season ??

[Woodworks]

 

 

1

21 minutes ago, MattyF said:

 any way felling hedge row trees now in prime nesting season ??

No intention of felling now just planning my autumn work. 

[skyhuck]

I have never seen the Ash so far behind the Oak. I've watched them both most of my life, as my dad always used to tell the old "Oak before Ash and we're in for an splash, Ash before Oak and we'er in for a soak" ditty.

 

In my experience the Oak and Ash generally come into leaf pretty much together, sure I've seen them both leaf very late, but together or with a few days of each other. This year the Oak have been out for weeks and many Ash have nothing, others only just starting to leaf.

 

It is probably the driest spring I can recall, after a pretty dry winter and of cause the very dry summer last year. Don't think I've ever known the land so dry. I guess with Ash having very low water content in the timber, this dryness is having an affect?

[Khriss]

Bit of a bandwagon. Lot of dead elms on my manor, but occasional vigorous specimen I clear all dead n leave him to thrive for Letterstreaks butterflies. One day they will prevail ? k

[MattyF]

I have never seen the Ash so far behind the Oak. I've watched them both most of my life, as my dad always used to tell the old "Oak before Ash and we're in for an splash, Ash before Oak and we'er in for a soak" ditty.

 

In my experience the Oak and Ash generally come into leaf pretty much together, sure I've seen them both leaf very late, but together or with a few days of each other. This year the Oak have been out for weeks and many Ash have nothing, others only just starting to leaf.

 

It is probably the driest spring I can recall, after a pretty dry winter and of cause the very dry summer last year. Don't think I've ever known the land so dry. I guess with Ash having very low water content in the timber, this dryness is having an affect?

Think that’s a good point , I was on a site the other day that the ash in wetter parts where out in full leaf or flowering and the ones higher up either to being colder or lack of water where not showing any signs , not even flowers but I’ve seen trees be a lot later than now over the last five years and mid summer look fine..

I think now is a critical time not to have a knee jerk reaction and fell trees off that they may potentially have chalara or even if they do be building up an immunity to it when we have had the driest spring and a load of other unsettled weather patterns over the last few years ... I’ve seen elms behave very peculiar and still survive and remain iconic trees in areas where if they had given them a chance in the proper DED felling days a lot more would still of survived.