Sheffield could lose 215,000 ash trees

NATURE: A council embroiled in a long-running dispute with residents over the felling of street trees in a Yorkshire city has warned it will have to remove more in the coming months due to an infectious disease sweeping the country.

Sheffield Council says it could lose up to 215,000 ash trees in the city to ash dieback.

A COUNCIL embroiled in a longrunning dispute with residents over the felling of street trees in a Yorkshire city has warned it will have to remove more in the coming months due to an infectious disease sweeping the country.

Sheffield Council has confirmed it could lose up to 215,000 ash trees in the city to ash dieback, which has already had a major impact across other parts of Yorkshire and the Peak District.

The Labour-run authority, which had a eight-year legal battle with a campaign group over its policy of felling street trees, said infected trees need to be taken down before they become a public danger.

Mary Lea, the council’s cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure, said yesterday: “I understand that there may naturally be some concerns about the removal of trees and I want to reassure people that it’s the last thing we want to do.

“However, we have to prioritise the safety of people and so we are closely following national guidance from The Tree Council to manage this situation as best we can, and make sure we retain as many ash trees as possible.

“A small number of ash trees will be resistant, which is why we will only take trees down at absolutely the right time.”

Around 90 per cent of England’s ash trees will die from the highly infectious, incurable disease which is spreading rapidly across Europe.

Affected trees become unpredictably brittle and dangerous as the disease takes hold and can drop limbs or fall entirely in the later stages of the disease.

The city council says Sheffield is home to about 253,000 ash trees and could lose between 127,000 and 215,000, meaning “preventative action now is essential to restore and protect the city’s existing and future ash population”.

About 153,000 of Sheffield’s ash trees grow on public land and the remaining 100,000 are on private land.

The council said its parks and countryside service and its Streets Ahead contractor Amey – which was at the centre of its long-running dispute with campaigners – are monitoring all ash trees for signs of infection.

And while infected trees need to be taken down before they become a public danger, those that may be resistant to the disease must be retained so that a new generation of more resilient ash can establish.

Last week, a ‘‘peace deal’’ was drawn up between Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG) and Sheffield Council, potentially bringing the city’s eight year tree-felling war to an end.

Both sides agreed to work together on a new ‘‘shared vision’’ for the city’s trees after a saga which saw dozens of arrests, thousands of trees chopped down and a war of words in the courts, as well as an intervention by Cabinet Minister Michael Gove.

I want to reassure people that it’s the last thing we want to do.

Mary Lea, Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure.