Trees will be cut down to stop the spread of disease

ROADS will be closed and trees cut down in the county to remove trees with a deadly disease.

Highway crews from Gloucestershire County Council are carrying out essential work around the county to remove unsafe trees infected with ash dieback.

Ash dieback is a disease that causes leaf loss and dying branches, and can lead to the death of a tree. The disease attacks ash trees quickly and there currently is no prevention or treatment available.

Ash trees are very common in Gloucestershire, and it’s estimated between 27,000 to 32,000 trees in the county will require attention over the coming years.

Councillor Nigel Moor, cabinet member for environment and planning at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Cutting down any tree is a huge loss to our county’s biodiversity, but this is something we must do to stop more trees becoming diseased.

“We are fully committed to stopping this disease, saving as many trees as we can and undertaking a programme of tree planting throughout the county.”

Ash dieback can spread tens of miles by wind-blown spores or by trees growing too close to infected ash trees. To prevent ash dieback from spreading, the diseased trees need to be cut down to stop more ash trees from becoming diseased.

The disease damages tree’s limbs and causes them to become unsafe.

Road closures will be in place where work is being carried out and these closures will be clearly signposted.

A wide scale tree planting programme is being developed as part of the council’s climate change strategy.

The Million Trees Challenge is the council’s aspiration to increase tree coverage in the county by 2030, working with members of the Local Nature Partnership.

Currently, suitable areas for tree planting are being identified and a strategy on tree planting will be discussed at a county council cabinet meeting in October.