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Trust launches appeal to help tackle £1.2m cost of pandemic in trees

Ash trees affected by dieback at Warburg Nature Reserve. Picture: Debbie Lewis

Ash dieback disease set to kill 90 per cent of ash trees at BBOWT nature reserves.

The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has revealed it is facing a bill of more than £1 million to tackle the impact of devastating ash dieback disease, which is infecting millions of trees across the UK.

The Trust has had to make the drastic decision to remove thousands of ash trees across its nature reserves in areas where falling dead branches pose a significant risk to the public, buildings or road users – in line with Government guidance.

As the UK marks the tenth anniversary of ash dieback disease arriving in the country this year, the Trust is now launching a major fundraising appeal to help it cover the cost of tackling it.

A BBOWT contractor carrying out ash dieback works at Chinnor Hill nature reserve. Picture: Karl Lofthouse

A BBOWT contractor carrying out ash dieback works at Chinnor Hill nature reserve. Picture: Karl Lofthouse

With the cost of energy bills soaring, the economic squeeze and the new Government’s dramatic recent attacks on environmental legislation, conservation charities like BBOWT are facing more challenges than ever. As a charity, BBOWT relies on voluntary donations to keep doing its vital work to restore nature in a climate and nature crisis, and the money needed to tackle ash dieback has put a huge - but unavoidable - dent in finances.

Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive of BBOWT, said:

"To all of the visitors who come to our reserves, we want to say thank you: we know this work can look drastic, and we are grateful for your understanding and your patience while we tackle this terrible disease. As we launch our ash dieback fundraising appeal we also want to thank everyone who is able to spare any amount to help us.

"We are in the midst of a nature and climate crisis, and sadly ash dieback disease is a part of that. We are tackling the effects of this disease in order to keep our reserves as safe places that can inspire people's love of nature and to provide safe havens for wildlife. We hope that one day in the future we will have a new generation of ash trees that are resistant to this dreadful disease ripping through our reserves."

Ash dieback causing the death of young ash leaves

Ash dieback causes the leaves of affected trees to wilt and die. Photo by M J Richardson.

As BBOWT manages more than 80 nature reserves which are open to the public, and the disease is now present at more than three quarters of those reserves, it has required a huge operation to manage the effects of the disease to protect wildlife and people.

Mark Vallance, BBOWT Senior Land Manager and lead officer for managing ash dieback, said: "As a wildlife trust, this is one of the most heartbreaking projects we have ever undertaken. However, it is absolutely vital we ensure that everyone who visits our nature reserves - whether the general public, BBOWT staff or volunteers - continues to have safe access to these beautiful and beloved sites, and we have carried out all of this work in the most sensitive way possible.

"Like many ecologists, we are hopeful that some trees will prove to have natural resilience to the disease and can seed future generations that might one day restore our population of ash trees – in the meantime we thank everyone for their understanding as we continue to do everything we can to mitigate the effects of this devastating disease."

A BBOWT contractor carrying out ash dieback works at Chinnor Hill nature reserve. Picture: Karl Lofthouse

A BBOWT contractor carrying out ash dieback works at Chinnor Hill nature reserve. Picture: Karl Lofthouse

Counting the cost

So far, BBOWT has spent £360,000 on tackling ash dieback disease since 2019. The money is spent on hiring specialist contractors, who have already safely removed thousands of trees.

The Trust is set to spend more than £200,000 in the 2022/23 year, and by the end of 2026 managers estimate they will have spent £1.2 million. But the problem will not end there, and the Trust will keep having to spend to mitigate the problem.

In a few areas, the Trust is looking to sell the timber it has cut down to offset some of the expenditure, but the condition and often inaccessible location of affected trees means it would often cost more to extract the wood than it is worth, so there is limited opportunity.

Ash trees affected by dieback at Warburg Nature Reserve. Picture: Debbie Lewis

Ash trees affected by dieback at Warburg Nature Reserve. Picture: Debbie Lewis

Reserves managers are also having to close footpaths and car parks for public safety while work is carried out. Earlier this month the Trust closed large parts of its Dancersend reserve near Tring to begin an eight-week program of ash dieback works; in Berkshire, staff have done significant work at Moor Copse and Snelsmore Common, and in West Oxfordshire some footpaths at Hook Norton Cutting have been closed for the foreseeable future because of the risk of branches falling on visitors.

BBOWT is not alone: many other landowners and land managers across the UK have been counting the cost of ash dieback. In December 2021 the National Trust warned that it was expecting to spend £3 million tackling ash dieback in that winter alone.

To give to BBOWT’s urgent ash dieback appeal visit www.bbowt.org.uk/ash-dieback-appeal

Find out more about how BBOWT is managing the disease at bbowt.org.uk/wildlife/nature-matters/ash-dieback

Notes to editors

What is ash dieback disease

Ash dieback is caused by a fungus (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) that originates from eastern Asia and spread to Europe about 30 years ago. It was first recorded in the UK in 2012. It is thought the fungus probably arrived on imported saplings, although it is also possible that tiny spores may have arrived here on the wind. One of the reasons the disease is of such great concern and needs to be managed as a high priority is the effect it has on branches: the disease can make branches extremely brittle which makes them more likely to fall, creating a serious danger for anyone who happens to be below.

 

Symptoms of ash dieback

The fungus eventually blocks the tree’s nutrient and water transport systems, causing it to die back from the tips of the branches, hence the name.

  • Leaves: dark blotches on the leaves, which then wilt as they turn black in colour.
  • Stems: lesions - typically diamond-shaped and dark brown. Wood beneath the bark discolours to a brownish-grey.
  • Trees: widespread leaf and shoot dieback is obvious during the growing season. The disease is usually fatal.

 

Ash dieback in stats

  • 10 years - since the disease first arrived in the UK
  • 80-95 per cent - of ash trees in the UK that will die
  • 5 per cent - expected to show some resilience
  • £15 billion - likely cost to the UK economy
  • 75 per cent - of BBOWT's 80+ nature reserves already affected
  • £1.2 million - estimated cost to BBOWT by end of 2026

 

What has BBOWT done?

To ensure no one is hurt and no property is damaged by falling trees and branches, BBOWT is undertaking a targeted program of tree works across its reserves. The work is being timed to minimise the impact on wildlife such as nesting birds, and the Trust is also retaining trees that have bat roost features where possible. BBOWT is not felling all the ash trees in the woodlands. We are retaining as many trees as possible to maximise the opportunity for genetic resilience to be expressed, and to preserve the existing woodland habitats - where dead and decaying wood is a vital component, supporting huge biodiversity. Where the Trust does remove trees from woodland, this can have the added benefit of creating areas where more light can reach the ground, allowing dormant plants to flourish and tree seedlings to germinate, helping the woodland to naturally regenerate. This can create new habitat for woodland insects such as butterflies and birds such as warblers.

The Trust started the work in the winter of 2019, which will continue until the disease has run its course. Work is focused on high-risk areas to ensure the safety of the public and staff. The majority of trees will be identified for felling where they show greater than 50% canopy die-back and are at risk of collapse or shedding limbs.  However, in some instances it may be necessary to fell trees with less than 50% canopy die-back, in high-risk areas such as road verges where the danger of tree collapse is particularly high, or on sites where access is particularly difficult. BBOWT is only felling ash trees where absolutely necessary for health and safety, and is keeping ash trees wherever possible to give the best opportunity for resilient individuals to seed future generations.

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