is it good sense to leave the trees until very poorly before felling to find the resistant ones provide seed to restock ?
Yes
Quote:
if 97% are probably going to die is there any point in trying to prevent spread with a pre emptive clear cut ?
No
Quote:
i have been planting horse chestnuts from trees that seem resistant to the red death thing which has been killing them round here for quite a few years ,i was wondering if an ash plan would also be a good idea?
Sounds like a good idea.
I took advice last year after noticing it here, the local FC advisor said that there's so much of it about now that there was very little point felling. Common sense says that if ash is as genetically diverse as they reckon then it's best to get as many offspring as possible.
Having said that they reckon it's not looking good for ash as we now also have sightings of emerald ash borer
is it good sense to leave the trees until very poorly before felling to find the resistant ones provide seed to restock ?
Yes
Quote:
if 97% are probably going to die is there any point in trying to prevent spread with a pre emptive clear cut ?
No
I am not disagreeing, but a more thorough and well thought out response is a damn sight more convincing.
NorthernMonkeyGirl
Joined: 10 Apr 2011 Posts: 4630 Location: Peeping over your shoulder
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 16 3:49 am Post subject:
Why? Succinct works. You won't find a resistant population if you've felled them all, and the spread is inevitable from what I hear, given the conditions and means of spreading.
Sorry Hl but that seemed to be enough words in the context of the original post, my level of knowledge, and the fact that I was at work (actually working) when I posted
I'll try to post in a more fulsome style in future, maybe throw in loads of unsubstantiated speculation, a conspiracy theory or too, some paranoia and a bit of hysteria too.
I would read the FC website for the latest advice, but I read a couple of papers that suggested leaving the affected stems will help wildlife dependant on ash for as long as possible. If there are only one or two stems affected, it might be worth cutting them out to clean wood aand burning them.
The main spore carrying medium is the leaf. Also, the more wind that can blow through the stems, the less chance of enough spores landing to start an infection. If you cut ash it will coppice, and new coppice reaches full adult immunity from about 10 years old.
Our ash trees tend to start butt rot at about 70 years old, so we are having to cut them otherwise they will fall over anyway. Our woods has many old coppice stools in it, and if the lot go it will be a cultural and historical as well as an ecological disaster. Hoping we have plenty of resistant ones.
Tahir, I didn't know emerald ash borer had been seen in the UK. I knew it was a major threat through. Must read up on it. That's the last thing we want.
MR that really is the tip of the iceberg, I've been saying for years that we're due something that affects rosaceae, xylella fastidium (spp?) has the potential as well as numerous other genera. It's wreaking havoc in olive groves in Italy at the moment.
I reckon the amount of plant material (dead and alive) that gets imported and the changing climate means we will inevitably introduce some dreadful pests and diseases in the next couple of decades.
I went to a seminar on Pests and Diseases in Woodlands with our son a couple of years ago, and yes, it is frightening. The FC are very worried about it all, but trying to get government to see how serious it is is an uphill struggle. All they see is free trade. Restrictions can be applied, as they have been in the case of ash at the moment.
Sudden oak death is less likely to affect British oak trees, but will affect other trees like beech and other thin barked trees.
Some were found in sweet chestnut in Kent. We know one of the FC officers sent to make sure that this was dealt with. He ensured that the entire affected stand was cut and burnt before the wasps emerged last year and think they were creating a zone with all tops burnt round it. This year it was a watching brief.
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