When the ash die back

What a week of autumn bliss. How is October already knocking on the door?! Last time on the Arbor Ace Tree care blog, I mentioned ash die back as being our next topic of discussion. Ash die back is a huge issue in today’s urban forests of the UK.

What is ash die back? The proper name of this horrible disease is Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It is a white fungus that grows in  leaf litter and new shoots that have grown since infection. It affects most ash species but, mainly Common ash ( Fraxinus excelsior). Another name for ash die back is Chalara. Since it is a fungus it produces spores. These fungal spores travel on the wind up to 30 miles away.

The face of Chalara is awful black blotches on the leaves causing them to wilt and shrivel. You will also see dead shoots and lesions along the limbs with cankerous growth. Affected trees will often be full of epicormic growth below infected areas. If you peel back the bark of an infected tree, you will see a grayish brown discoloration of the xylem( tissue underneath the bark ). If your ash tree has lots of dead sections in it, it could be the infamous Chalara.

Depending on the age Class of your tree, you can get and idea of how much time you have left with it. Most trees will not survive a Chalara infection. Young trees will die with in a year while trees less than 40 you can expect 3-5 years before it’s stone dead. Best thing to do is call a licensed arborist if you suspect Chalara in your ash trees. You should also contact the Forestry Commission (www.forestry.gov.uk) and state you may have a positive case of Chalara on your property. It’s a great source for infection maps and more information on this disease that is decimating our ash trees across the UK as well as parts of Europe.

Currently there is no chemical control for Chalara. The best route of action is to have the infected tree removed sooner rather than later. The longer you wait the more your tree will become infected and in turn have more dead sections. This from a arborists points of view is more dangerous for us to handle therefore, more costly to remove.

Next time on the Arbor Ace Tree Care blog we can have a conversation about Pruning: why and when? Till then, have a great week!