Action taken to fight fungal disease affecting trees in Ilminster

An ash tree near the tennis courts was showing signs of Ash Dieback and the town council confirmed it is currently taking action.

If left alone, the council also said, the affected tree would rot.

A spokesperson for Ilminster Town Council said: “The town council is currently having some work done on the trees around the tennis courts.

“One of the trees, which is an Ash, was showing symptoms of ash dieback.

“If left alone, the affected tree would rot and could fall, so in the interest of keeping everyone safe, we have carried out pollarding of the ash; pollarding is the removal of the upper branches and is a long-established management technique.

“Doing this, will allow us to keep the ash in place and monitor it in a safe way.

“In most cases, the ash will grow back and live on for some time and could show signs of resistance to the disease. However, if it doesn't, sadly it may finally succumb to ash dieback.”

 

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.

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

Back then, a spokesperson for the council said: “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.

Photo of a tree affected by the fungal disease (Image: Joe Bates/WTML)

“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.”