Frequently asked questions about ash dieback

See the Woodland Trust’s guide to identifying ash trees.

The Forestry Commission has published some useful guides and videos to help to identify ash dieback at various times in the year. See Forest Research on Chalara ash dieback.

The key things to look out for are:

• Spots on the leaves
• Wilted leaves
• Branches losing their leaves and ‘dying back’
• Dark patches, called lesions, on the branches or trunk

These symptoms are easily visible in young trees, but they can be harder to recognise in more mature trees. Larger infected ash trees will show clear signs of die back within the crown.

We don’t know. Scientists have developed techniques to identify individual trees that are less susceptible to ash dieback disease. It is hoped that this technique, combined with resistance breeding trials, can be used to grow trees that are more likely to survive the disease.

There are no exact figures of the number of ash trees in Leicestershire, but it’s estimated there are over 500,000 in the county.

There are just over 25,000 ash trees on land managed by Leicester City Council.

There is no cure and once trees are infected with ash dieback it is usually fatal.

There is information on what to do in the A Guide for Tree Owners by the Tree Council.

There is no restriction on the movement of felled ash. However, you can slow the local spread of the disease by collecting up burying or deep composting fallen ash leaves and other material on site. This disrupts the fungus’s life cycle. Please do not put infected leaves and twigs in green waste bins for composting by your local authority, as this risks spreading the disease.

It is the landowner’s responsibility to deal with trees on their land.

You are liable if a diseased tree from your land falls onto a highway and causes damage/injury to third parties.

If you have an ash tree on land that you own, it is your responsibility to survey for signs of the disease, and if it is present, to act in a structured and proportionate manner taking into account any risks to public safety. We would recommend that you have your tree(s) inspected by an expert - Arboricultural Association - ARB Approved Contractor Directory (trees.org.uk)

Tree felling is a legally controlled activity and you may need permission to fell growing trees, including diseased ones. Licences are free and are issued by the Forestry Commission. You generally don’t require a felling license to fell single trees. It is always recommended that you talk with the Forestry Commissions felling licence team prior to the start of any tree works, for more information view the government guidance (PDF).

No - There is a ban on the import of ash plants and seeds into the UK and there is now a legal ban on the sale and movement of ash trees for planting within the UK.