Local authorities across the UK could be facing a collective bill of billions of pounds over the next 15 years due to the ravaging effect of Ash Dieback disease. These costs are, for many, outside the scope of their existing budgets and will therefore put even more pressure on reduced budgets.
It is estimated that there are between 27 million and 60 million large Ash trees in the countryside outside of woodlands, and it is estimated that somewhere between 75% and 90% of these trees are likely to die, and most will die in the next 10 to 15 year period.
Previously, funding had been available from Defra for the management of this disease, however this was withdrawn in March 2020, with no alternative provision for management of Ash dieback being made available.
APSE is therefore looking to gather information from local authorities across the UK as to not only the impact and costs of Ash Dieback to local authorities, but also to make a case to Government that funding be reintroduced to help combat a disease which not only has serious health and safety implications for the public, but also has the ability to significantly degrade the visual appearance of the UK and have more longer term implications for combatting climate change and reducing opportunities for biodiversity - all major national targets for improvement.
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