| answer text |
<p>The fungus responsible for ash dieback disease can spread up to 75km via air borne
spores. It is not possible to limit the spread of the disease at a national level,
and it is now present in all counties, moving across the country at the expected rate
from modelling by Cambridge University. There are an estimated 125 million ash trees
in UK woodlands and up to 60 million ash trees outside of woodlands. From observations
in Europe and the UK, we expect 1-5% of these trees to be naturally resistant to the
disease.</p><p>The disease progresses quickly in young trees, trees growing in stressed
conditions and ash dominated woodlands with higher levels of leaf litter and spore
loads. Removal of leaf litter may be an effective way to limit the spread in certain
conditions, for example around high value trees in urban environments.</p><p>The Government
has published guidance for landowners on managing diseased ash, including a toolkit
for Local Authorities, which has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times. Through the
Local Authority Treescapes Fund, Defra funds treescape restoration with alternative
species. Since 2021, over £15 million has been awarded through this fund. Countryside
Stewardship tree health woodland grants also provide funds for private landowners
to restock after felling due to ash dieback, and we are piloting grants that provide
financial support for ecological surveys and road closures.</p><p>The Government has
invested more than £8 million into ash dieback research, including the world’s largest
screening trials for resistant trees. 1000 genotypes drawn from a wide geographic
spread and genetic diversity are being tested for resistance to facilitate the possibility
of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.</p>
|
|
