A FUNGAL disease has been found in “all our open spaces” in Crewkerne, the town council said.

Crewkerne Town Council said the Ash Dieback disease was found in ash trees across the town and drew up plans to tackle the issue.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Inevitably Ash Dieback disease is now present in ash trees in all our open spaces in Crewkerne.

“The grounds team and our contractors have kept a close eye on its spread and in 2022 Crewkerne Town Council commissioned a report from a professional independent arborist to give an up-to-date picture of the situation and make recommendations on how to tackle this.

“The report from the arborist has identified a large number of trees in Crewkerne with the disease, and categorised them into priority levels, starting with those needing remedial works which include removal this winter.

“The two sites most affected will be Townsend Cemetery, where a stretch of ash trees borders the A30, and Bincombe Beeches Nature Reserve, which is home to a large number of ash trees.

 

“The town council will apply for permission from the planning authority for the removal of affected ash trees as identified in the report and will be guided by any comments or recommendations made by the tree officer.

“Ultimately, as we have seen in the news recently, trees which are not looked after correctly can be dangerous with tragic outcomes.

“Crewkerne Town Council is going to adopt a replanting strategy to ensure that trees lost to Ash Dieback are replaced by native trees, choosing species which mirror the functions of ashes in the ecosystem, such as oak, rowan, birch, and aspen.

“We hope to involve the community in planting projects and help raise awareness of Ash Dieback disease and its implications.

“Crewkerne Town Council will continue to monitor and manage the health of the town’s tree population and improve the resilience of our tree stock with advice from our professional arborist.”

As explained on the Woodlands Trust website, the Ash Dieback disease is a fungal disease that originated in Asia.

It is now present all over the UK and is spread easily through wind-blown spores.

For more information visit this website.