Any sign of ash dieback disease in Ireland?

Ellis Dee

I've been reading about ash dieback disease in Britain for some time now and every report I see makes me more worried that it will eventually reach Ireland - if it hasn't already.:eek:

Although relatively little is known about how the fungus Chalara fraxinea spreads, there are suspicions that spores may have been blown across the North Sea to the east coast of Britain, in which case it might well jump the shorter distance across the Irish Sea.

I have hundreds, or maybe thousands, of ash trees, everything from tiny seedlings to about four metres high, growing on my land and had hoped that they might be used to make hurleys long after I shuffle off this mortal coil.

I remember the terrible sight of majestic elm trees dying from the 1970s onwards, and hope our beautiful ash trees are spared.

Given that some experts fear the fungus can be transmitted in lumber and even wooden products, and since we have been importing hurleys from China, how big is the threat to one of the most beautiful native Irish species?

I heard we've introduced a ban on ash imports, but how well will it be observed and policed, and is it already too late?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/9638359/Ash-die-back-disease-could-have-been-lurking-in-UK-for-years.html

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

There is a thread here in the forestry section on the subject