Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 70

COUNTRY LIFE infected plants from European nurseries. However, now that it has been found in older trees along the east coast of England, with no apparent connection to plants supplied by nurseries, the possibility of it arriving by natural means are being investigated. These ‘natural causes’ include being carried on the wind or birds coming across the North Sea, or on items such as footwear, clothing or vehicles of people who had been in infected sites. So, what is the future for our ash tree? The Government has currently placed a blanket ban Credit: Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is asking for your help in reporting ash trees with the Chalara dieback symptoms on all movements of any type of ash tree. Where the disease has been identified in young stock, the owners are being asked to destroy the infected plants to prevent the disease spreading. The Forestry Commission is asking for your help in reporting ash trees with the Chalara dieback symptoms. Take care to first make sure that the infected tree is really an ash (look for the black buds) because they can look similar to the rowan tree, which does not get the disease. Check out the Forestry Commissions website showing how to identify Chalara, www.forestry. gov.uk/chalara. If you think you have spotted the disease, please check the symptoms video and pictorial guide to symptoms before reporting it. Chalara helpline: 08459 335577 (open 8am - 6pm every day) or [email protected]. You should also follow the ‘biosecurity’ advice, to avoid accidentally spreading the disease on your boots, clothes, bicycle wheels etc. 70 www.visitislandlife.com Credit: Forestry Co mmission