21/03/2021
Long post !
I recently saw the post about whatâs happening to cowbridge trees and thought it would helpful to answer that post as well as to reply through a new post. I can let you know what we have done but canât speak for other companies.
Weâve been removing ash from the A48 due to ash die back, Mainly from the dual carriageway and the approaches, not from the land opposite St. Hilary junction that was recently carried out - not us ! These are the fastest sections of road in the vale (70mph) Weâve also been removing dying ash over the last two to three year for the council as their contractor, as well as for many private individuals. Itâs a huge issue.
Ash dieback (ADB), Hymenoscyphus, is far bigger an issue than Dutch elm disease which destroyed the mature population of elms. Itâs a fungal disease that causes fatal decline. Sadly you will see more and more ash being removed by many firms, farmers, landowners, homeowners; Itâs not jus a council problem but they do manage 10000âs of trees on your behalf and for your safety. The visual landscape is changing and because most ash grow on human flows of movement, they will need addressing due to the high risk they then pose as they decline, as upto 95% will die. There are differing views on the amount that will survive but either way it is still sadly a low number.
Ash die back causes either the crown to dieback over several years, leaving dead branches to fail or the whole tree can fail if the entry point is through the lower stem. A secondary pathogen such as honey fungus can cause further issues because the tree is in a fragile state. Either way the tree becomes very brittle (which Is the safety aspect) and there have been fatalities to treeworkers working on ash trees affected. If the trees were in the middle of the field, we wouldnât notice, most wouldnât care but theyâre where we drive, walk, play and live.
There are some great tree firms in the vale and wider area but there are some who wouldnât know an ash from an oak. Ask any firm you see working and ask them what theyâre doing; if they know theyâre profession, theyâll be happy to talk to you, explain whatâs happening, explain what permissions they have, but do be wary as they are doing a dangerous job and walking into a cordoned off area doesnât help. We had a person cycling down the closed dual carriageway, he stopped when he got to us, swore a lot as we were in his way and said he could do what the f.... he liked, jumped over into the opposite direction of traffic, cycled on and then jumped back into the closed section. People like that make the job harder.
If in doubt about whether work should be carried out, call the council, they will have a record if an application was necessary and whether it was made. The vale doesnât have a tree officer, which it should do as trees are valuable assets ecologically, aesthetically, and emotionally. Tree officers play in an important role and we should have one.
Thereâs a lot of felling happening presently because of the nesting season which starts when the birds start to nest. There are different dates bounded about about by government and organisations but birds nest when they want to nest, theyâre not keeping an eye on the websites. Therefore anyone working on trees has a duty to ensure they are not removing trees that are being used by nesting birds regardless of when it is. However as itâs colder, birds tend to nest when itâs a bit warmer, hence the dates generally recommended. Every tree we work on, we inspect for nesting birds. Any doubts and we leave them. The forestry sector continues felling through out the year, trees continue to be removed throughout the year. People buy wood products throughout the year, but we generally donât ask the retailer if the tree was felled outside the nesting season. There isnât a no fell rule but there are consequences if anyone destroys a tree with a nest.
Iâm glad the public are taking note of what is happening to the trees and the amounts being removed. General itâs due to ADB but weâve definitely seen an increase in work due to lockdown and people working from home. More people are spending time at home and in their gardens. But either way the amount of trees, mainly ash, that will be lost from roads, footpaths, woodlands in the vale will be huge.. the woodlands are dying as one person said to me. Sounds dramatic but if you simplify it, theyâre right. A lot of the woodlands in the vale are mainly ash. Maybe this may spur society to plant more, as, at the moment itâs pretty pathetic. Most planting in the uk happens in scotland who have always had a handle on how important their trees and associated trades are. The other countries, however much they jump and wave their hands in celebration - are pretty poor planters. And as much as I agree itâs the councils role to replant, the issue is bigger than that. Communities, homeowners, landowners, tree firms, schools, groups, individuals etc should all be playing their part even if itâs just a few trees planted, because to make up for what weâre about to loose is almost uncountable. Volunteer if you can, find someone whoâs growing trees or grow them yourself. I know Nancy my partner could do with a hand Collecting and potting on the 10000 trees sheâs trying to grow this year up in our yard. Local tree nurseries with locally grown stock are needed. More now, more than ever.
Apologies for a long post. Thankyou for indulging me if you got this far. If you need more info on ADB go to forestry commission, NRW (limited info), woodland trust and the Tree council which is great. All on the www
