ash dieback on the itv news at 6 tonight

[dexta]

What's going to be the out come ? Fell all contaminated ash and will it be compulsory , who's going to check every tree, who's going to do it,who's going to pay for it and replant with what ,not ash I presume .has any of these questions been answered yet !

[likeitorlumpit]

This was so obvious

I expect deep down quite a few will be glad this disease has arrived. Stimulates an industry.

Sorry but honest!!

[codlasher]

I can't see the 'fell every tree' scenario, as we still have Elm that has grown up from the root systems, that remain active and very much alive, in the hedge bottoms. These still reach the crinkly bark age and then die aged 15ish years, standing some 30' tall.

How come, with all the advances in human medicine, there has not been any advance in finding a cure for this one? I know the stand at Westonbirt as I visited 25 years ago. These are still going strong, as far as I know (and hope:biggrin:)

codlasher.

[RobArb]

My Two pence worth....

 

Some of the current suggestions or answers (and even whats been reported in the press) as to what to do next have been pathetic and rubbish (IMO)!

 

The ash trees that we are now breeding need to be bred from a diverse genetic base whilst circumventing any clones. These new breeds will hopefully breed with existing ash trees that are possibly resistant (even partially resistant) which will further produce TOUGHER offspring. A diverse genetic base has a better chance of survival in the long run, way past when we are gone:biggrin: Destroying (existing) trees is a big no-no, OK, we may have to deal with young trees that haven't made it but leaving the trees to NATURAL processes can bring better results than anything we could muster up.

 

As for injecting (from what i've heard) but isn't it worth a try? Surely it would be cheaper to inject say 20 mature ash in an avenue than to fell and dispose? It may only work on a few limited cases but may give tree owners/managers a bit of time to consider further options, this however would not be a long term solution. Tend to the dead trees, especially ones near highways, pedestrian areas, in risk of damage etc, BUT use this to promote arboriculture. As an industry we need to stick together and work against the (more than likely) profiteers and the cowboys out to make a quick buck. It may even bring this industry to the forefront of peoples minds without skewed views from the media, we may even get joe public one day asking for an "arb":biggrin:

[likeitorlumpit]

My Two pence worth....

 

Some of the current suggestions or answers (and even whats been reported in the press) as to what to do next have been pathetic and rubbish (IMO)!

 

The ash trees that we are now breeding need to be bred from a diverse genetic base whilst circumventing any clones. These new breeds will hopefully breed with existing ash trees that are possibly resistant (even partially resistant) which will further produce TOUGHER offspring. A diverse genetic base has a better chance of survival in the long run, way past when we are gone:biggrin: Destroying (existing) trees is a big no-no, OK, we may have to deal with young trees that haven't made it but leaving the trees to NATURAL processes can bring better results than anything we could muster up.

 

As for injecting (from what i've heard) but isn't it worth a try? Surely it would be cheaper to inject say 20 mature ash in an avenue than to fell and dispose? It may only work on a few limited cases but may give tree owners/managers a bit of time to consider further options, this however would not be a long term solution. Tend to the dead trees, especially ones near highways, pedestrian areas, in risk of damage etc, BUT use this to promote arboriculture. As an industry we need to stick together and work against the (more than likely) profiteers and the cowboys out to make a quick buck. It may even bring this industry to the forefront of peoples minds without skewed views from the media, we may even get joe public one day asking for an "arb":biggrin:

 

it's possible this is the tip of the iceberg and making safe may be our only option. I expect a very different landscape in 30 years. Could be that injecting ash will only delay the inevitable.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

A certain company is going to make a KILLING from this treatment.

 

And they will finally win in bringing the chemical/injection business and american style approach to the U.K

[Paul Barton]

As for injecting (from what i've heard) but isn't it worth a try? Surely it would be cheaper to inject say 20 mature ash in an avenue than to fell and dispose? It may only work on a few limited cases but may give tree owners/managers a bit of time to consider further options, this however would not be a long term solution. Tend to the dead trees, especially ones near highways, pedestrian areas, in risk of damage etc, BUT use this to promote arboriculture. As an industry we need to stick together and work against the (more than likely) profiteers and the cowboys out to make a quick buck. It may even bring this industry to the forefront of peoples minds without skewed views from the media, we may even get joe public one day asking for an "arb":biggrin:

 

Well said that man

[timtree81]

It's been confirmed down here today south Wales

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Remember too that these new confirmed sites are most likely long been infected its the new emphasis on survey and quantifying the spread thats finding all these new sites.

 

a year or two down the line will reveal the true nature of this problem. I wouldnt be expecting to contain it now, that is futile, more damage will be done trying to do just that.

 

As for injecting trees to kill all fungal entities within the tree this is akin to chemo in humans, the latent endophytic fungi already present in the tree and the trees own kind of defence mechanism.