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October 2019 October 2019
Tickets will be available to purchase online for a weekly draw. Before a final
decision is made we want to hear from local voluntary and community
organisations, partners and local residents for their views on the scheme.

Ash Dieback
We have been asked by a number of
people who are interested in the
Council’s approach to the problems
affecting the Ash tree population in
Dorset much of which has suffered from
this potentially deadly disease. Below is
the response from our Senior Scientist.
The Council’s Tree Policy enables us to
deal effectively with any Council owned
trees which may pose a threat to the
public. With regards privately owned
trees, if we have concerns about these
then we refer it to the appropriate
Officer who then serves an enforcement
notice on the landowner.

We regularly attend Plant Health update
seminars which are run by the Forestry
Commission, at which this disease and
many others are discussed. The Forestry
Commission advice, which the Council agrees with, is not to panic and not to
needlessly fell ash trees. There are several reasons for not over-reacting. Firstly,
due to the nature of the disease, the tree does not become dangerous or pose

a hazard quickly. If it is a very young tree, it may die quickly, but due to its size it
does not constitute a hazard. For many trees, the disease takes several years,
often tens of years, to kill the tree, especially if it is large. Even when dead, the
tree isn’t immediately dangerous as its roots will still be sound for several years.
These trees do not become dangerous over-night. By monitoring the trees we
can make an objective decision on when it needs to be felled or other action to
be taken.
Secondly, not all ash trees are succumbing to the disease, therefore pre-emptive
felling is not advisable as you may be removing naturally resistant trees. All official
advice is against the whole scale mass felling of ash trees. Driving around Dorset
it is easy to see which trees are infected and which are not. Quite often in the
same road you will some infected trees growing amongst non-infected trees. As
ash is a pioneer species, it readily seeds and re-colonises areas. Over a period of
time the naturally resistant ones will prevail and re-populate the area. The
disease is fairly widespread across England with some areas being more affected

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