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Deadly tree fungus ash dieback spreading quicker than predicted, experts warn

<em>Deadly fungus Ash dieback is spreading more quickly and lethally in the UK than experts thought (Picture: Getty)</em>
Deadly fungus Ash dieback is spreading more quickly and lethally in the UK than experts thought (Picture: Getty)

Deadly fungus ash dieback is spreading more quickly through the UK’s ash trees than experts had predicted, it has emerged.

BBC Wales reported that millions of diseased trees will need to be cut down as the incurable disease spreads through the country.

It said that a recent survey found infections confirmed in 80% of Wales, 68% of England, 32% of Northern Ireland and 20% of Scotland.

<em>Ash dieback is spreading faster than experts had predicted (Picture: Forestry Commission)</em>
Ash dieback is spreading faster than experts had predicted (Picture: Forestry Commission)

Symptoms of ash dieback include wilting and lost leaves and new growth is killed off on mature trees.

According to BBC Wales, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has warned of a “very significant impact” , with its tree protection officer Dr Chris Jones saying it is now “endemic”.

He said: “We’re finding it in woodlands, we’re finding it in roadside trees, we’re finding it in hedgerows right across Wales.”

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Other experts warned that they had been caught ‘on the backfoot’ by the speed at which the disease is spreading, with one comparing ash dieback to Dutch elm disease, which wiped out the vast majority of elm trees in the UK in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

BBC Wales reported that the Welsh Government is working with NRW to set up an Ash Dieback Awareness Group to share the latest research, management options, and the disease’s progress.

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