The National Trust team that cares for some of the Isle of Wight’s most iconic countryside places is having to take action to compact a fungal disease that affects ash trees this February, meaning temporary closures of some rights of way and a road diversion.
Ash dieback is caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and the disease causes ash trees to slowly die, drop limbs or branches, collapse or fall.
Robin Lang, National Trust Isle of Wight Countryside Manager, has said:
“On the Isle of Wight we care for hundreds of hectares of woodland. Ash trees are a common feature in these woods as well as in the wider landscape. Sadly, ash dieback is now present in all the woodlands we manage on the Island. Over the spring and summer, our ranger team assessed and monitored the health of the ash trees on land that we manage. As a result of these surveys, we have identified a large number of trees across the portfolio that pose a risk to public safety and unfortunately are now in urgent need of felling”.
Not all affected ash trees will be felled. Wherever it’s safe to do so, The National trust will be leaving both standing and fallen deadwood so that wildlife can benefit.
Robin adds:
“The felling will only take place in high-risk zones where infected trees pose a risk to public safety. This includes those that are along public highways, rights of way, well used paths, permissive routes and near residential areas and car parks. In some cases, it may appear that we are removing what look like healthy trees, but ash trees have to felled before they have suffered 50% die back in the canopy otherwise the whole tree can suddenly fail and become too dangerous to fell.
“Despite the tragic loss of trees, we’ll be seizing the opportunity to increase the biodiversity in areas hardest hit. Where we’ve removed dying ash trees, we’ll leave most areas to naturally regenerate as woodland or in the case at Tennyson Down using the clearance as an opportunity to restore rare chalk grassland where the soil type is suitable.”
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The work will be done this winter by specialist contractors with equipment that will get the job done as efficiently as possible to cause minimum disruption. The plan is to start next motnh. There will be signage at affected countryside places and updates on National Trust Isle of Wight Twitter and Facebook pages, and on The National Trust Isle of Wight website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight.
Restricted access and diversions
There may be temporary road closures and restricted access along some routes and pathways during the works. Where this is the case, the National Trust will ensure that temporary diversions are in place to keep residents, contractors, and visitors safe. Where the felling is next to public footpaths and bridleways (the north side of Tennyson Down and the bridleway from Cowleaze to Luccombe Down) public rights of way will be closed for the duration of the work for safety reasons and where possible a path diversion will be arranged. These closures are likely to last just over a week each.
The works in detail
• At the Tennyson Down site trees will be felled in a strip up to 35 metres wide to ensure the public right of way, footpath T24 from High Down pit car park to Moons Hill quarry, is safe to use afterwards. The footpath will be closed for up to 7 days from the 21st February.
Large machinery will be used to enable the efficient processing of timber in just a few days. In places, a level track will be excavated for safe passage of machinery. Some sycamore will be felled as well and after felling the National Trust will be reverting the area to open chalk grassland habitats by scraping off some areas to bring the chalk nearer the surface and give rare chalk grassland plants a better chance of becoming established. This is one way of turning round the loss of ash trees to become a nature conservation opportunity, albeit a different habitat, however, it is one for which the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) can be designated.
Wood will be stacked near to the path and extracted at a later date when ground conditions allow.
• Bridleway SS9a from Cowleaze to Luccombe Down will be closed for 5 days from the 7th February while felling is taking place. The tree felling will be done by a tracked machine positioned in the field to the south of the Bridleway. The machine will have sufficient reach to fell and process the timber without having to drive on to 8the bridleway itself.
• The A3055 between Ventnor and Shanklin at Luccombe Copse will be closed for about a week from the 14th February with diversions in place. The contractor’s method statements mean that they need the whole width of the highway to safely and efficiently position machinery and process the timber. Access for residents affected by the closures will be via the diversions.
In Luccombe Copse a temporary track way will be excavated on the steeper slopes to allow safe passage of machinery. After the felling, the ground will be reinstated, and the natural regeneration of woodland will be encouraged.
• The road at Walters Copse, Newtown will have traffic management (traffic lights or stop/go boards) in place while felling is taking place.
• Other smaller areas of felling in Ventnor and at St Helens will just have traffic management in place for the time when felling is taking place.
