What to do about your roadside ash trees?

Gautama

I’m interested to read the thoughts of other landowners about their roadside ash trees.

At a guess I’ve about 200 ash trees on my land but fortunately only about 10 by the roadside. Having paid close attention to the condition I reckon 80% of them are showing signs of dieback at the moment. I’ve come to the conclusion that I may as well begin marking the infected ones and start felling them from this winter.

I’ve no issue with felling trees myself, but not roadside ones. These pose their own unique set of problems (power lines, cars, etc.)

With storms getting stronger and these trees getting weaker, I expect the country will see a huge upsurge in fallen trees in the coming decade. And danger to life and limb.
The expense to felling these trees, and the potential expense of not felling them, is preying on my mind.

Thoughts?

patsy_mccabe

Ambiguous to day the least.

https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/advice/forest-protection/ash-dieback/legal-requirements---ash-dieback/

lmk123

get a man with a digger and chain and pull them into the field as you’re cutting them, that’s what I’ll be doing shortly anyway. Load of them dying by the road. The annoying part for me is my house is air to water so I can’t even burn it after cutting it, my father will be delighted.

mr.stonewall

A digger with a tree shears can really lighten the tree and make it then easier to come down safely.

On a side note you do not have to wait to September to fell diseased trees due to the safety concerns.

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422483#Comment_122422483

Biggest issue with a badly infected tree is the risk of them splitting of in the middle when cutting, happened us a few years ago with a large one, was lucky not to be killed, you really need your wits about you when sawing them

Gautama

Too dodgy for my liking. Too much down to chance. Anything goes wrong an a car appears from nowhere.

Oh, and that reminds me, as for the firewood aspect, the market is going to be flooded with good quality ash firewood in the coming years so expect a massive drop in price.

Gautama

Deciduous trees are lighter and easier to cut and fell in winter (less water content, no leaves) and faster to season.

Gautama

Great point, thanks for that.

I’ve noticed a good few of the trees have the dieback more on one side than the other.
A tree like that is going to fall the direction it wants.
And of course, if it splits on the way down, it may change direction again.

Gautama

I had been doing some Googling on this and there have been calls for a scheme for landowners and homeowners.

Not the compensation scheme for people that have ash plantations for income.

But for people like us or just ordinary homeowners with big ash trees in their front gardens.

Unlike the compo scheme, this would benefit people from all walks of life, young and old, urban/suburban/rural.
In fact, a big infected ash dieback tree in a town or city is far more dangerous than one on country roads (in term of traffic).

Election coming up, I might get a few letters I the post.

Fine Day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423146#Comment_122423146

Why would you be looking for compensation?? If it poses a risk then take it down. If the tress is in your property then you are responsible. Have done several over the last number of years. It did not cost a fortune as I got someone in to take them down safely and we cut them up ourselves. Great peace of mind to have them removed. Even a branch of some of these large tress can cause serious damage.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422483#Comment_122422483

I’ve been told as they’re a H&S risk, notify your local Council and cut away. You could save a life

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423183#Comment_122423183

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058361270/what-to-do-about-your-roadside-ash-trees

If things are being done by the book, afelling licence from the local NPWS rangers might be necessary also.

Gautama

I agree. It costs about €1,000 per tree. That’s €10,000 for ten. Do I have €10k lying around? Maybe, maybe not. I’ve probably 100 roadside trees but only 10 are ash.
If they were all ash, I don’t think I’d get the €100k together without selling a couple of fields.
But think of the millions of roadside ash trees around the country. Does every Tom, Dick and Harry across the country have €1k per tree in the front garden or on the ditch?

Call me a socialist, but that’s why I think there should be a grant to the few for the benefit of all road users.

Call me Al

I'm looking for advice on a neighbour's tree along our boundary wall and overhanging my garden as well as a main road. Is this an ash tree in amongst the rest of the greenery? We've already had a huge dead branch fall down a few years back but there's so much foliage it is hard to tell what's what.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528308#Comment_122528308

Leaves towards the right & bottom look like ash to me anyway

doctorchopper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528308#Comment_122528308

you can down load a app on your phone called picture this, sign up for the free trial and it will tell you what species of tree/flower ect…

blue5000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423875#Comment_122423875

I don't think a felling license is needed for roadside trees or within 10m of a dwelling.

patsy_mccabe

New ash dieback scheme offering €5,000/ha opens

New ash dieback scheme offering €5,000/ha opens - Agriland.ie

annubis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122424617#Comment_122424617

got ina professional recently, two of them cut probably 5 or 6 maybe 7 big old ash trees for me, cut them into like 10ft lengths in field and I moved up to yard where they cut up the trunks for me , I would have no chance of cutting the large trunks with my little saw, I hate chain saws anyway, Ive my own splitter so am working away thru it, fair old bit of timber there, still have alot of the smaller diameter branches that arent even cut up yet, anyways it wasnt anything like the cost you mentioned there, this is in co clare but if you want details pm me. this chap would do roadside trees no bother

50HX

1000euro per tree 😱😱

Obscene money

As pointed out earlier get a digger ,you'll have them knocked for less than the price of 1 tree

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122529950#Comment_122529950

I wish they'd introduce a scheme so I could take a couple of roadside ones down

Although it might not matter as I can't seem to get a tree surgeon etc to actually come and take them down

Castlekeeper

We took down a young tree, 30-50yo, that was hanging over a neighbours garage and had very obvious dieback issues on the crown. Apart from the twigs and branch ends, the timber was 100% sound. It's exactly what it says on the tin, it's very visible and the trees are only dying back from the extremities.

Well see what other examples are like but based on this one I wouldn't be worrying about dieback and safety for the moment after seeing it.

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122615498#Comment_122615498

90% will cut okay, the really bad ones are lethal had a mature tree 70 years old split 10ft above where i was cutting the beak out was lucky i wasnt killed heard the tree starting to crack and legged it

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122615498#Comment_122615498

took down three last year. Two of them had honey rot throughout the trunk. Didn’t look bad until we felled them. You’re wrong to make a judgement like that from one tree.

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122615594#Comment_122615594

I didn't mean to give that impression.

Would the honey fungus have pre dated the chalara?

I was just sharing information, I've plenty more of them and I'll be seeing how they go.

(Top tip, leave the word "you" out of yposts unless you're trolling)

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122615520#Comment_122615520

That's scary alright. Was there any obvious signs in hindsight or other non chalara issues?

We took this one down from the top due to it being heavily loaded over a shed.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122616551#Comment_122616551

I doubt it. These were youngish trees as well. 30 more coming down next week - all around houses and along the roadside.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122615498#Comment_122615498

There are a line of big ashes on a bounds ditch here. Last spring I thought to my self if any ash survive it will be one of them. They are completely dead now. Not even a leaf .

Some other ones are dying for years with ashdie back.

That tree you cut down could be 80% dead this time next year if left, there isn't much way to tell.

That honey fungus seems to do wreck .

fits

30 trees down now. Various ages and stages of disease. Some had bad fungus in the stump. Others it was just starting. Two or three were close to death. The ash trees away from the road will be left to their own devices.

fits

this one snapped.

Castlekeeper

I thought this was a dramatic example of dieback.