Western Morning News (Saturday)

Trees infected with ash dieback to be removed

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About 26 trees infected with ash dieback will be removed from alongside stretches of the North Devon link road next week.

The trees are being removed as a safety precaution from eight sections of the A361.

All work will be carried out during off-peak daytime hours between 9am and 4pm, from Monday through to Friday, and some traffic management may be needed on some sections.

Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet member for highway management, said: “This is essential work to keep our roads as safe as possible. Our regular tree inspection­s found that these trees have ash dieback and they now need to be removed for public safety reasons.

“The work is being co-ordinated to take place outside of peak times in order to minimise disruption. We are continuing to take a proactive approach in managing ash dieback by regularly monitoring and inspecting ash trees across Devon when in leaf.

“While we will remove trees when necessary, we are supporting a replanting programme that includes a diverse range of native trees in order to reduce the impact on the environmen­t. We would urge all landowners – however large or small – to arrange an inspection of any trees on their land at the appropriat­e time and take appropriat­e action if they represent a safety hazard.”

Devon County Council leads the Devon Ash Dieback Forum, which was establishe­d in 2016 to address the risks of the disease.

To date the county council has removed about 100 infected trees in areas which include Bickleigh and Exeter.

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