Ash Die Back

[RedOne]

Hi,

 

I am looking for some advice on how to improve an area of hillside with the majority of stock being Ash with Dieback that has grown to tall for the soil that its grown up in. Last year after storms around March a large percentage of the stock was damaged which left a lot of them uprooted and hung up. Most of the stock over the years has grown tall not out causing the 'Twiglet' effect and then after April it looked like a tub of twiglets had been thrown on the ground. I would imagine through better management and the introduction of some broadleaf species improvement over time could be made. I would also presume that reduction of height and targeted felling would reduced risk on any other stock. Any thoughts would be welcome.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Mark Bolam]

Do you mean reduction in height of the ash?

Why on earth would you do that?

[Steven P]

Lots of spindly ash grown, never thinned out, got blown over. OP wants something more long lasting on the hillside?

 

 

Foreseeing the questions, has the OP got a few more details of the site, how steep it is, orientation, rough location, any species preference (I'll assume something native) and so on

[peds]

8 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Do you mean reduction in height of the ash?

Why on earth would you do that?

 

Best thing for them. 

Reduce them down to ground level and start again  🌳

[Paul in the woods]

30 minutes ago, RedOne said:

Hi,

 

I am looking for some advice on how to improve an area of hillside with the majority of stock being Ash with Dieback that has grown to tall for the soil that its grown up in.

 

 

May not be the soil, I've got 1000s of 35ish year old ash with dieback and the roots rot off even when the top has a reasonable canopy of leaves. 

 

Luckily I've got a lot or regen hazel, which suits my plan, so I'm just felling out the ash.

[peds]

8 minutes ago, Paul in the woods said:

May not be the soil, I've got 1000s of 35ish year old ash with dieback and the roots rot off even when the top has a reasonable canopy of leaves.

 

Yeah, I've seen that, they can just keel over in any direction, any time they want. Scary stuff. 

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, peds said:

 

Yeah, I've seen that, they can just keel over in any direction, any time they want. Scary stuff. 

They fall over each other and the tiny rootball of some ends jacked up in the air, I wouldn't have thought the roots could be so rotten and support any leaves

[htb]

2 hours ago, Paul in the woods said:

 

May not be the soil, I've got 1000s of 35ish year old ash with dieback and the roots rot off even when the top has a reasonable canopy of leaves. 

 

Luckily I've got a lot or regen hazel, which suits my plan, so I'm just felling out the ash.

Ditto, on our place in Wales.

[david lawrence]

In a similar situation is there any point in just felling poorest looking trees in hope some might be resistant or make life easy and just fell the lot ?  This year they didn’t get any sicker looking and some may have rallied a little

[peds]

Provenance would be a question for me. If they were imported nursery stock they should be gotten rid of, if they were proper natives I'd keep any that look like they've got a bit of fight in them.