Horse Chestnuts SULE

[Ruskins Trees]

Why are Tree Consultants (numerous examples) are giving Horse Chestnuts a SULE of 20-40 years?

 

I have heard and seen in print the commonly held belief that Leaf Miner and Bleeding Canker spell the end of this species in the UK with a much shorter timescale.

[Kveldssanger]

Indeed, there are suggestions that the dry weight of both HC seeds and specimens is reduced where the host tree is being 'attacked' by both of these pests - both separate from one another, and more deterimentally so when they both act in tandem. Granted, this research isn't accepted by everyone, though I would say it is fair to assume that it has some effect, and notably on younger individuals that regenerate from seed.

 

With regards to a suspected life expectancy of 20-40 years, it is potentially short-sighted to label all trees as having such a life expectancy, though it's nonetheless fair to suggest their life expectancy will be reduced, and particularly if the specimen is young. Of course, HCLM and leaf blotch do not act alone, and as most HC are in urban and sub-urban areas there's a huge chance other factors are at play - biotic and abiotic.