Is Ash Die Back starting to cause Ash trees to become brittle and snap off ?

[Pilatus]

If above is correct I do wonder how long it will be before Ash trees suffering with Ash Die Back,especially along side main roads will start snapping off and falling across roads and causing serious ,if not fatal road accidents.
Are any of you as landowners,farmers,estate/farm managers starting to have road side Ash die back trees felled as farm / estate policy?
Must be some serious public liability claims coming forward in the not too distant future, if Ash tree across a road causes serious injury/ fatality!!!
The above said who is responsible for the trees,along side a main road that are growing within a mtr of the roadside, council’s or landowner, could be an interesting one ????

 

[spin cycle]

ash is brittle anyway

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Already cut most of them down!

 

[Doing it for the kids]

If above is correct I do wonder how long it will be before Ash trees suffering with Ash Die Back,especially along side main roads will start snapping off and falling across roads and causing serious ,if not fatal road accidents.
Are any of you as landowners,farmers,estate/farm managers starting to have road side Ash die back trees felled as farm / estate policy?
Must be some serious public liability claims coming forward in the not too distant future, if Ash tree across a road causes serious injury/ fatality!!!
The above said who is responsible for the trees,along side a main road that are growing within a mtr of the roadside, council’s or landowner, could be an interesting one ????

yes, in a word. Some trees are doing ok it seems but most are in trouble,

we had a survey done to mitigate risk, hardly any ash along road sides luckily.

the countryside is going too look very different In a few years time

 

[Henarar]

If above is correct I do wonder how long it will be before Ash trees suffering with Ash Die Back,especially along side main roads will start snapping off and falling across roads and causing serious ,if not fatal road accidents.
Are any of you as landowners,farmers,estate/farm managers starting to have road side Ash die back trees felled as farm / estate policy?
Must be some serious public liability claims coming forward in the not too distant future, if Ash tree across a road causes serious injury/ fatality!!!
The above said who is responsible for the trees,along side a main road that are growing within a mtr of the roadside, council’s or landowner, could be an interesting one ????

We have been on taking them down for the last week, a few big trees but mainly smaller ones 18 inch or so that have been left when we have laid hedges, one big tree broke all to pieces when it was felled,
mate was saying that a lot of tree surgeons won't go up them now as they are so unreliable,
Its a real shame

 

[steveR]

yes, in a word. Some trees are doing ok it seems but most are in trouble,

we had a survey done to mitigate risk, hardly any ash along road sides luckily.

the countryside is going too look very different In a few years time

Lost a couple, and now seeing some looking very ropey, but some still quite bright. It'll be like Dutch Elms, it'll get the poor bloody Ash in time.

Did anything come of the use of an injection into the trees?

 

[theboytheboy]

We've done all of our road side ones and any near buildings or with public acess.

Had sse out with us last week with road closures and power off etc to deal with a monster ash on a road side within reach of power lines.

They guy in charge told me sse wont climb ash at all now as they are too unpredictable.

I think we have had it worse in the south ? But don't doubt it will spread

 

[ford4000]

Council are doing surveys on roadside trees around here, they told us to cut 2 Ash trees down last year because of Die back, they've found another 3 to come down this year!!

 

[Pilatus]

May be a bit harsh to say this , but sadly until there is a fatal accident , caused by a vehicle crashing into an AshDie Back tree, dramatised by the “The Sun”, I don’t think the seriousness of Ash Die Back trees falling across main roads will be taken on board by some landowners/ farmers.
It is does not matter to me as I only sell firewood.

 

[Steevo]

Planning to clear all roadside trees as soon as we can. Was told a story today of a child who was left paralysed by a falling tree limb and the size of claim for ongoing care etc could bankrupt any landowner. I feel incredibly sorry for the unfortunate child whose life was completely changed as a result of this tragic accident.

It’s just not safe to leave any trees where they might be pose a danger, even if they appear to be healthy.

 

[Johnnyboxer]

We have 2 80’ Ash trees here

This year they have been snapping quite large branches

Looking at taking them down

 

[Breakthru]

I live next to the site of an old monastery so coming down in Ash trees.
So far all healthy and the only falls are the occasional branch. I hope that continues however I know locally that imported Ash has suffered. Just hope it doesn't spread here. In saying that my friends Cherry tree had an aphid attack last year and it resulted in half of it dying back which I cut off. (100 yr old tree).

 

[dudders]

I've got a few dying, but never seen so many young ash saplings - sprouting up all over the place. Maybe they have a future.

 

[egbert]

ash is brittle anyway

er....in fact, it is famously elastic and strong.
Sledge hammer handles, sporting goods, steam bending components....etc etc
It's only brittle when it's booggered

And 90% of it is about be/already ...booggered

 

[A Sales representative]

Devon highways regularly “patrol” roads and condemn trees issuing removal orders, and time scales, we just had 6 trees out and I’ve been out with the marker spray we probably have another 8 trees that died in front of my eyes it seemed so quick.

 

[britt]

Ash has always dropped branches without warning in dry summers. It's always been a sickly tree. It's just the sheer number of them that has allowed a few to become veterans.

 

[Pistonbroke]

Our ash trees seem pretty healthy but there is something going through a lot of old native oak trees that makes them.either die standing or go brittle and snap

 

[Henarar]

er....in fact, it is famously elastic and strong.
Sledge hammer handles, sporting goods, steam bending components....etc etc
It's only brittle when it's booggered

And 90% of it is about be/already ...booggered

The forestry chap that looks after the woods here recons there are several sorts of ash and that some will stick it better than others

 

[egbert]

The forestry chap that looks after the woods here recons there are several sorts of ash and that some will stick it better than others

rather than 'sorts' -implying different sub-species- it'd be better to say there's a wide genetic diversity in ours.
from the off, the wise have reckoned that better than 10% will remain unaffected.
Mind, that's saying 80%+ won't survive.

Although it's well in amongst mine now, evidence is pointing at 40-60% copping it, unless some take longer to show symptoms.
I've seen worse on the continent, with an almost total kill rate in some.

curiously, there isn't a flood of logs being electively felled and presented at the mill.
(often, those coming down are already no good)

We're not planning to have a blitz milling and stacking it, as the timber is prone to worm attack long term in the stack.
It's a great shame.
We are putting by -and treating- a lifetimes supply of shovel handles for our own use though.....

It is sadly a sign of the times, with all the major broadleaved species i grow and cut under various assault.
Makes a sorry joke of the 'plant a tree to save the world'....the horse has already bolted.

 

[essexpete]

Just taken down 3 80 year old boundary Ash trees. Well actually one was already down. It snapped at root level with probably only one major root working as an anchor. We were very lucky. The other 2 had extentisve rot in the first 2m of trunk with fungal growth as well. The tree man would not climb and a small MEWP was 200 for the day. Cheap at the price. The hinge material was very iffy and without a line on would not necessarily gone the right way.
I was also told that this year has produced quite a lot of sudden limb drop with oaks. Seeming healthy trees. Some of the old boundary oaks of 180 to 200 years are starting to decline. A seemingly fairly healthy tree starts to reduce canopy for a few years then stops altogether, when in leaf on some occasions.