Town and Parish Council News - Special edition: Ash die back

Ash tree disease impacts West Sussex

Ash dieback (ADB) is a devastating disease that has the potential to kill over 95% of West Sussex ash trees over the next 10 - 20 years.

As nearly 21% of all broadleaved trees in West Sussex are ash, this would have a major impact on the county’s landscape, wildlife, and habitats.
Although there is no treatment, a small percentage of ash may be resistant to, or tolerant of, the infection. Survivors can be used for breeding tolerant ash trees for the future.

The County Council is working with district and borough councils, other organisations, and land owners to take a coordinated approach to mitigate potential health and safety risks.

There will be further selective felling of ash trees and reactive work this summer. Phase 2 of the highway survey for ash trees, due to be carried out last year, stalled because of Covid 19 but should restart this year.

In the meantime, alternative approaches will help to fill some of the data gaps. This will help to prioritise inspections.
For more information visit the West Sussex County Council website.

What parish and town councils need to do:

• If you have responsibility for trees, check your tree condition surveys are up to date.
• Know where your ash trees are and, if you have volunteer tree wardens, encourage them to monitor the
trees and report regularly.
• Where trees are located near the highway network, or a public right of way, please share this data with the county council: ADB@westsussex.gov.uk We can then explore opportunities for joined up working to reduce frequency of road and path closures.
• Prepare a plan to manage the impact of ADB – see the Ash dieback toolkit; also the recently published guidance for homeowners and those with ash trees on their land from The Tree Council;
• Be aware that ash trees with tree preservation orders (TPOs) or trees in Conservation Areas will normally still require consent for any works from the local planning authority. Contact the district or borough council tree officer for specific advice.

Please be aware that under the Forestry Act 1967, a licence is required to fell most trees. Details of how to apply for a licence and any exemptions which may apply are outlined in the Tree Felling – Getting Permission document. Note that public bodies are exempt where there is a legal duty to maintain a service or network. See Operations Note 46a for more detail.

Finally, please do not panic! Whilst the safety of trees is always the responsibility of the landowner, the requirement under health and safety legislation is to have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and to apply measures that are reasonable and practicable.

More on this and the duty of care is in Common Sense Risk Management of Trees, from the National Tree Safety Group. Also see Forest Research for further advice on the identification of ADB and how to report it, and the Arboricultural Association for directories of registered consultants and contractors.