Teagasc provides practical guidance to forest owners how to deal with ash dieback
Teagasc’s Forestry Development Department have produced a series of videos to provide objective advice to forest owners whose ash plantations have been affected by ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), and to highlight the important factors that need to be considered when removing the infected ash trees, and replacing them with alternative tree species.
Dr Nuala Ní Fhlatharta, Head of the Teagasc Forestry Development Department emphasised the importance of this timely source of information, “forest owners with affected ash plantations are attempting to find a way forward and Teagasc is supporting them in relation to developing future management options for their forests.”
In this series of videos, practical advice and information is provided by Teagasc’s Forestry Development Officers on
The series also provides an overview of the important research work that is being carried out by Teagasc investigating solutions to the ash dieback fungal disease. Teagasc has developed two research projects on ash dieback of common ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Unfortunately, it is expected that the disease will affect most ash trees in Ireland, causing the majority of them to die over the next two decades.
A very small proportion of ash trees show natural tolerance to the pathogen. This means that they show minor symptoms and the disease does not have a noticeable impact on their growth or health. Teagasc is working to identify such trees and build up a gene bank with the ultimate goal of producing tolerant ash seed and plants restoring ash trees to Irish forests and hedgerows.
Dr Ian Short, Teagasc researcher, gives an overview of his remedial silvicultural research over more than a decade supporting forest owners in managing their ash dieback-infected plantations. He discusses alternative silvicultural management options including coppicing, underplanting, free-growth, and felling of small coupes.
Dr Dheeraj Rathore, tree improvement researcher with Teagasc, discusses the Teagasc tree improvement programme to breed tree genotypes that are resilient to the ash dieback disease, productive and adapted for a changing climate.
This important series on how to deal with ash dieback is made up of six short videos. They can be viewed here www.bit.ly/managing_ashdieback
These and other forestry-related videos can be viewed on the Teagasc Forestry YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/teagascforestryvideos
Students - please use your own personal email address here as school emails block external messages.