Chalara fraxinea - Generic thread

[john k]

4 sites in each 10km square hants, West Sussex, berks, Surrey. Particularly looking for sites in the Bracknell area as there is chuff all ash up that way.

 

Is that a Forestry Commission job?

[Jim B]

I am far from convinced it is dieback yet. Took. Couple of pics of that other tree, the one the top fell off a couple of years back (probably longer).

Zoom in and you can see the peeled bark and rotted centre. Tree looks as healthy as anything and has made strong new growth. I always suspected lightning tbh on that tree.

[ATTACH]183754[/ATTACH][ATTACH]183755[/ATTACH]

 

100% chalara.Tree to right in picture is classic thin crown we are now in June trees should be in full leaf. You will not find diamonds on anything other than a sapling. I have seen one un affected tree in the whole of Norfolk.

[Adam M]

100% chalara.Tree to right in picture is classic thin crown we are now in June trees should be in full leaf. You will not find diamonds on anything other than a sapling. I have seen one un affected tree in the whole of Norfolk.

 

Plenty of other reasons for ropey looking ash. The fruiting bodies should be now. Have a root route around the ground for blackened rachis with small off white trumpet shaped fungi.

[Adam M]

Is that a Forestry Commission job?

 

Yeah. A three year P+D surveying project. Year 2.

[Jim B]

Plenty of other reasons for ropey looking ash. The fruiting bodies should be now. Have a root route around the ground for blackened rachis with small off white trumpet shaped fungi.

 

Not really perhaps you under estimate what is to come.

[jonnygurkha]

I'm reading this with interest as here in Somerset I have not seen an Ash that I could positively say has chalara fraxinea. However, I'd say a large proportion of the mature Ash don't look right. The crowns are much thinner than normal and it seems like the leaves are growing mainly at the tips, giving a lions tail effect. I would like to get more information on the symptoms on mature trees. I had been wondering if this was more a reaction to climatic conditions over the past few years but now not so sure. I'll try and take some pics today.

[john k]

It's very easy to diagnose in saplings, but harder to give a definitive answer in more mature trees as they may not show any of the obvious classic symptoms.

 

From your description of the poor crowns I would say that there's a good chance that it may be Chalara. Are there any saplings near by that you can look at? If mature trees are being affected then saplings almost certainly will be.

[john k]

Here are some photos I took today in Kent.

 

Classic wilted leaves

 

Infected growth on mature tree

 

Thin crowns as described above...

 

...and a close up of the tree in the middle

 

Patches of dieback in a crown

 

Dead sapling and infected sapling showing regrowth

 

Another sapling showing classic symptoms of last year's growth during off with new growth below

 

The orange/brown dead branches are obvious year round. The wilted leaves are just starting to show now, and turn black and stay attached for a while. Diamond shaped lesions will give another confirmation if they are present, but in my experience they are not as common as the guides make out.

 

It's not a disease that is obvious unless you look for it, but the more you look, the more you'll find. It's gone quiet on the news and most non-tree people I speak to tend to assume that it's gone away, but it definitely hasn't.

[Jim B]

Here are some photos I took today in Kent.

 

Classic wilted leaves

[ATTACH]183936[/ATTACH]

 

Infected growth on mature tree

[ATTACH]183937[/ATTACH]

 

Thin crowns as described above...

[ATTACH]183938[/ATTACH]

 

...and a close up of the tree in the middle

[ATTACH]183939[/ATTACH]

 

Patches of dieback in a crown

[ATTACH]183940[/ATTACH]

 

Dead sapling and infected sapling showing regrowth

[ATTACH]183941[/ATTACH]

 

Another sapling showing classic symptoms of last year's growth during off with new growth below

[ATTACH]183942[/ATTACH]

 

The orange/brown dead branches are obvious year round. The wilted leaves are just starting to show now, and turn black and stay attached for a while. Diamond shaped lesions will give another confirmation if they are present, but in my experience they are not as common as the guides make out.

 

It's not a disease that is obvious unless you look for it, but the more you look, the more you'll find. It's gone quiet on the news and most non-tree people I speak to tend to assume that it's gone away, but it definitely hasn't.

 

Excellent stuff John you are right on all fronts. It is dire here and the prediction is now a 5% survival rate so basically if you haven't got it you will have and as bad as here. The most obvious symptom are the thin crowns I've had years of people trying to tell me it's drought. Drought dieback starts at the top and works down as in stagheaded oak, chalara thins the whole crown leaving vast numbers of buds un opened. It's not just the public the tree professional should be taking far more of an interest. The forestry sector is far more clued up on this than the tree surgeon which is a very sorry state of affairs. Get out of your truck on the way home everybody and goddamn look!

[matthawh1966]

It getting very bad around the Dover Kent area, on the way back from a job today, I couldn't believe how many trees had dead tops in some areas it looks like50% of them