Trees are an obvious visual feature in any rural landscape, including the Cotswolds. Currently though, we are losing one type of tree almost entirely – the ash tree. A destructive fungal disease – ash dieback – has been spreading across the country since 2012. The disease is expected to kill most of the ash trees in the UK, including those in the Cotswolds. This is significant – ash trees are the third most common tree in the country.
Ash dieback appeared in the Cotswolds in 2018. There is no cure. We will likely lose over 90% of ash trees in woodlands, and 70% of those outside woods. This includes big veteran trees and ancient pollards.
Losing ash trees means we will lose important habitat
Ash is a dominant tree in the Cotswold landscape, and in some places it can provide the majority of tree cover. And it is not only an important woodland tree, it is also significant in the wider landscape and can be found lining the roadside, in fields, in hedges, and in parks and gardens. Bats use ash trees for foraging and hibernation, and rows of trees provide flight lines across the landscape connecting roost and foraging areas. Ash trees provide habitat and food for 111 species of insect and mites, and 29 of those are specific to ash. Mature ash trees with holes and hollows provide roost sites for birds, and homes for small mammals. Sadly, the loss of ash trees will have a devastating impact on the landscape and wildlife of the Cotswolds and surrounding areas.
What are we doing? Mitigating the effects…
To try and tackle the impact of the problem, a partnership of organisations and experts from across the Cotswolds, Gloucester, Cheltenham and the Vale of Gloucester have joined forces. Their aim is to offer help for ash dieback in areas outside woodland (as owners and managers of woodlands are already being supported and guided by the Forestry Commission). The partnership’s aim is to work with farmers, land managers, and communities, and plant new trees to succeed the ash and provide an effective response to their disappearance.
- Ash Dieback – information for farmers and land managers
- Replacing Ash trees – principles and species
- Farmers Guide to Ash Dieback – produced by Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF)
It will be vital to maximise the benefits new trees will provide for wildlife, the landscape, and people – so these considerations will guide where trees will be planted. Replacement tree species to be planted include oak, beech, lime, field maple, and hazel. These trees all reflect the character of the area, provide the best benefits, and provide the best hope for the future of the landscape.
You can help us remember!
You can help us to collect photographs of prominent and notable ash trees in the landscape, before they are lost. Mark Connelly, our Land Management Lead, and the partnership above want to create a visual memory bank of these trees. Photos will also help identify where to plant new trees. We need pictures of ash trees that are significant in the landscape (and which show the trees in the context of their landscape setting). This includes single ash trees, or trees in rows or groups, those found in hedgerows, alongside roads or footpaths, in fields, parkland.
Send your photographs (up to 10mb) to ashtreephotos@cotswolds-nl.org.uk, and remember to say where they are, ideally with a grid reference and short description.