Ash Dieback Disease
Ash Dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) is the most devastating tree disease since Dutch Elm disease killed 60 million elm trees in the UK during two epidemics in the 1920s and 1970s.
The disease is spread by an airborne fungus. It attacks the vascular system of trees, killing young trees very quickly and more mature specimens over a longer period.
Infected trees weaken over time posing a safety risk with branches or the tree itself falling onto footpaths, roads, and property.
It is estimated that the disease will kill up to 90% of all ash trees in the UK over the next decade. There is currently no cure or method of control to prevent or protect against it, which means trees that have succumbed to Ash Dieback must be felled.
Ash Dieback on Mid Sussex District Council land
It is estimated that 15% of our tree stock is ash, including trees within our parks, nature reserves, woodland, and green spaces.
Working with the Forestry Commission, we are creating an ‘Ash Dieback Management Plan’ to ensure that diseased trees are safely removed. The removal of diseased trees is unavoidable.
To minimise the damage caused by Ash Dieback, and to keep our much-valued green spaces attractive to us and local wildlife, we will be re-planting a number of new stems. Specific details about the re-planting will be available in due course.
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Eastern Road Nature Reserve
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Monday 14 August
Work to safely remove diseased trees started on Monday 21 August and is estimated to take three weeks. Although the focus is very much on mitigating Ash Dieback, the work will also include the removal of other unsafe trees and any additional vegetation that has been directly affected where it is essential to do so.
Access to the nature reserve will still be available, but some areas will be cordoned off for health and safety reasons while our contractors remove the trees. Please follow all on-site signage and instructions during this time.
Contractors will be accessing the site from the Eastern Road Entrance.
Friday 8 September
During the initial phase of the work our experts identified additional trees that are unsafe. Around 200 additional trees will be taken down with work continuing on Monday 11 September. Please continue to follow all on-site signage and instructions during this time.
Related FAQs
Are there any details about re-planting?
We are committed to re-planting new stems that will support regrowth and improved biodiversity at Eastern Road Nature Reserve. Due to the site’s previous use as a landfill site, it has been identified that there is currently poor soil quality which will need improving before re-planting can begin.
We will be importing new, nutrient rich soil to improve this and we will need to wait for this to bed down before we can begin re-planting. With this in mind, we will not be able to plant the saplings this year and the work will be scheduled in 2024 once we are satisfied that the re-planting will be successful.
Is Eastern Road Nature Reserve the only area affected?
No. There will be other affected areas. We are currently working on our ‘Ash Dieback Management Plan’ to put an action plan in place to address the other areas on our land. This page will be updated when this is available.
Why are there still tree stumps across the Nature Reserve?
The tree stumps will not be removed. As they are not a tripping height, it is safe to leave them in place and beneficial for our wildlife. They provide unique habitats as standing deadwood, increasing biodiversity across the site.
Why were more trees felled at Eastern Road Nature Reserve?
Unfortunately, while our contracted arborists were removing the trees affected by Ash Dieback, approximately another 200 trees were identified to be unsafe due to soil quality and increased wind exposure. We appreciate that it is upsetting to see further trees removed but the safety of our community comes first, and as a result, the work was unavoidable.
The tree felling has taken away lots of the natural beauty of the Nature Reserve - what are you doing about that?
The devastation across the UK due to Ash Dieback is devastating and it is estimated that the disease will kill up to 90% of all ash trees in the UK over the next decade. Ash Dieback caused significant devastation to Eastern Road Nature Reserve and we understand it is upsetting to see the area in its current state. We would like to ask visitors to keep to the paths so that the site has the opportunity to recover. We will also be installing fencing to ensure that the paths are clearly defined. There are plans in place to re-plant new native species once the soil quality has improved. Please see our FAQ about re-planting for further details.