THE potentially devastating ash dieback disease has been identified in several areas of England. So far, it has not been identified in Wiltshire. However, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) is calling on members and local communities to report potential sightings of infected trees, in the hope that the ecological impacts of this devastating disease can be minimised in the county. The call comes on the back of the recent meeting between Defra Secretary of State Owen Paterson and the Forestry Commission to consider what action to take to control ash dieback disease chalara fraxinea.

Speaking on behalf of the trust, reserves manager Neil Pullen said “The Government has now introduced a ban on imports of ash trees to prevent more disease coming into Britain. Thankfully, we have not yet seen any evidence of ash dieback in Wiltshire.

However, it is important that we all act to ensure Wiltshire’s ash trees are protected. It took decades for Wiltshire to recover from the effects of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s and we need to try to ensure that does not happen with our magnificent ash trees. The trust owns and manages significant areas of woodland across Wiltshire. But it is not just our woods that are at risk. Ash trees are a fundamental part of Wiltshire’s landscape and any outbreak would have a massive impact on our local environment.”

As part of The Wildlife Trusts, WWT is calling for the Secretary of State to:

* Assess how far the disease has spread and halt it from spreading further around Britain; 

* Set up an Emergency Summit, to co-ordinate action to halt the spread of the disease, and to bring together appropriate scientists, commercial interests and representatives of landowning bodies including conservation organisations.

There are a variety of steps that individuals who spot potential ash dieback on any tree in Wiltshire can take, such as noting the exact location of the tree, taking a photo of the suspected disease, and reporting the sighting to one of the co-ordinating agencies: Forest Research Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service on 01420 23000, Forestry Commission Plant Health Service on 0131 314 6414 or Fera Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate on 01904 465625. A list of these agencies is also available at wiltshirewildlife.org. Or download and use the recently launched app for i-phone and android – Ashtag.

The app provides images to help identify the disease and a reporting feature.

Mr Pullen said “I would encourage people to make themselves familiar with the signs of ash dieback disease and be vigilant. If you see any ash trees that look like they may have the disease, take a photo on your mobile and use the app to report the sighting to the Forest Research Tree Health Diagnotic and Advisory Service, the Forestry Commission or Fera. They have a group of experts available to identify the disease. Should it be necessary the trust will respond quickly to any feedback from them.”