Peak nursery to replace trees lost to ash dieback

Peak District bosses are planning to create a tree nursery to help replace the millions of trees it expects to lose to ash dieback in the coming years.

Ash is the most common tree species in the national park but the authority that runs it says it expects up to 90% of these to die over the next 15 years.

In response it plans to grow more resilient tree species like oak, birch and rowan in poly tunnels before moving the saplings to other areas.

The Peak District National Park Foundation is now hoping to raise £20,000 to fund the new nursery planned for land near Ashford-in-the-Water.

The nursery will be irrigated by the River Wye and will be located next to the A6, which will help with transporting the saplings.

Ash dieback involves a type of fungus that is spread by air-borne spores from the leaves of the tree.

It has spread across Europe and Felicity Stout, woodlands manager for the Peak District National Park Authority, said it was particularly noticeable in the Monsal Head area.

"The landscape already looks different," she said. "As people drive around they will see many ash trees that are dead or are dying."

"In my role as woodland manager I have to oversee the felling of ash trees where there has been a risk of them falling onto our trails and roads," she said.

"That has been hard work because I don't like cutting trees down.

"But I am really excited because we have the opportunity now to restore these places where there have been ash trees - there are opportunities to make these landscapes more diverse and to actually make them better."

The foundation is a charity that raises money for the park authority.

Chief executive Roisin Joyce said "Trees provide so much. From the air we breathe and habitats for wildlife, to the landscapes that define the Peak District.

"But they are facing increasing threats, from extreme weather to fast-spreading diseases such as ash dieback and phytophthora, which have already led to the loss of large numbers of trees across the national park.

"By growing the right trees in the right place, we can restore what's been lost and protect the landscape for generations to come."

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