How to deal with dying ash trees in your forest
Teagasc has produced a series of videos to help forest owners whose ash orchards are affected by ash dieback.
The fungal disease is expected to affect most ash trees in Ireland and cause most of them to die off over the next two decades.
The first video gives an overview of the life cycle of the disease, shows how it spreads and provides practical information on how to recognize the symptoms in our trees.
Close
dr Dheeraj Rathore examines resilience in the laboratory
Harvesting wood affected by ash dieback presents special challenges.
You need a suitable driveway on suitable forest roads.
Then there are the health and safety considerations when harvesting dead or dying ash trees.
Another video looks at important factors in choosing alternative tree species, planting options and protecting the newly planted trees after the diseased trees have been removed.
Two videos detail Teagasc’s research into curing the ash dieback.
A very small proportion of ash trees show a natural tolerance to the pathogen: they show few symptoms and the disease has no noticeable impact on their growth or health.
Teagasc is working to identify such trees and establish a gene bank with the aim of producing tolerant seed and plants and restoring ash trees to Irish woodland and hedgerows.
dr Ian Short gives an overview of his more than ten years of forestry research helping forest owners manage their plantations affected by ash dieback.
He discusses management options including coppice, underplanting, free growth and felling of small coupes. dr Dheeraj Rathore, researcher at Teagasc, explains the program to breed tree genotypes that are resilient to ash dieback and also productive and adapted to a changing climate.
Close
dr Ian Short looks at treatment options to counteract the disease
The long term aim of this work is to propagate these tolerant genotypes to establish clonal and seed line seed orchards and to continue field testing of the clones and their progeny to restore Ash to the Irish countryside.
The six videos can be viewed below
bit.ly/managing_ashdieback or at youtube.com/teagascforestry
videos.
Talk about the future of forestry
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture recently opened two major forestry consultations, both for six weeks.
It is important that forest owners take this opportunity to make their voices heard: their views will help shape the future direction of Irish forestry.
■ The proposed National Forest Strategy is based on the recently adopted Common National Vision for Trees, Forests and Forests, which “promotes the right trees in the right places, for the right reasons, with the right management to support a clean, healthy and well-protected environment and a sustainable economy and society”.
Close
A gene bank of tolerant ash trees at the Teagasc Oak Park Research Center
It works to expand multifunctional and diverse forests that provide multiple climate, natural, water quality, timber, human, economic and rural development benefits.
■ The Forestry Program comprises a list of actions and measures to achieve the objectives set out in Ireland’s Common National Vision for Trees, Forests and Forests.
The Department is in talks with the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform to agree grant and premium rates for the new scheme to incentivize the levels of planting needed to enable Ireland to meet afforestation targets.
The 2023-27 forest program includes eight interventions: forest procurement; agroforestry; infrastructure and technology investments; sustainable forest management; Developing skills and strengthening the forest sector for sustainable forest management; open forests: community, cultural and heritage forests; climate-resilient reforestation; and reconstitution.
You can have a say in these two consultations – go for it gov.ie/forestry.
Closing date is November 29th.
Steven Meyen is Forestry Advisor at Teagasc in Ballybofey; steven.meyen@teagasc.ie
https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/forestry-enviro/forestry/how-to-deal-with-ash-dieback-in-your-forest-42118170.html How to deal with dying ash trees in your forest