Work begins to remove 150 diseased and dying ash trees in Telford

The work is taking place on the A442 slip road and verges from Brockley Loop to the Stirchley Interchange.

Ash dieback is a fungus spread through spores that has been sweeping across the UK since it was first spotted in 2012 when an imported nursery tree from Asia brought the disease to these shores.

It is a killer and European ash have no natural defences to it.

In 2013, Telford and Wrekin recorded its first case.

It is expected that almost all of England’s ash trees will die from the disease and the impact in Telford and Wrekin will be significant.

In 2018, Telford & Wrekin Council commissioned a tree survey to log the location of trees in many areas of the borough, their type, height and spread, overall health and proximity to buildings.

A risk rating was applied to each tree, identifying those in poor condition that require urgent maintenance or removal, including ash trees affected by ash dieback. Since then, a tree surveyor has been doing further assessments on the borough’s ash trees.

Around 150 diseased and dying ash trees on the A442 from the Brockley Loop to the Stirchley Interchange need to be removed for safety reasons as branches could fall from dying trunks.

It is happening now to make use of an existing road closure in place to undertake investigation works as part of the ongoing £11m improvement scheme to the A442.

Timber from the felled trees will be removed and sold for green biomass energy.

The council will then see what natural regeneration comes in the gaps next year before looking to replant with other disease resistant natives.