Nottinghamshire’s second most common tree set for extinction

Almost all of Nottinghamshire’s ash trees are expected to die as a debilitating disease continues its seemingly unstoppable spread.

The tree is being hit by an airborne fungal disease called ash dieback, which turns leaves black and rots trees from the inside.

The disease first appeared in the county two years ago on the Colwick Loop Road and has since spread rapidly.

And the tree’s demise is expected to be accelerated by the arrival of the emerald ash borer beetle to the UK.

The insect, a native of Asia, lays lavae that attack and kill a tree and is spreading across Europe after appearing in Russia.

Picture: The emerald ash borer is a bright green jewel beetle that feeds on ash trees

The Journal of Ecology published a report saying both problems are likely to combine to wipe out the ash tree in Europe, after experts undertook the largest ever survey of the species.

Dave Simpkin of Nottinghamshire County Council warned:  “There is a risk of losing 95 per cent of our ash trees. Some will become resistant to dieback but, even then, their immune system is affected and it may leave them susceptible to other diseases.

“The younger trees go first, while the bigger ones will last a little longer before succumbing. The most noticeable impact will come with the felling of thousands of telegraph pole-sized trees.”

The council is spending £500,000 annually on dealing with the disease, mainly on cutting down affected trees that are a safety concern.

There are more than 150,000 trees, of differing varieties, next to highways that the council will have to asses for ash dieback.

It was first spotted in the UK in February 2012 in Buckinghamshire but has now spread to most of the country.

The disease can be spotted in the late summer with the public being asked to look out for signs that include, leaf loss, wilting and dieback of shoots and branches.