Ash Dieback: What to Do If You Have an Ash Tree
Ash dieback is a fungal disease that has spread right across the UK since it was first confirmed here in 2012, and Surrey’s woods, hedgerows and gardens are full of ash. Many infected trees will die, though some show real tolerance.
If you’ve got an ash in the garden or on the boundary, it pays to know what you’re looking at.
How to Spot It
Ash dieback is easiest to judge in summer, when the tree is in leaf. Look for:
- Thin, patchy crowns, with bare twigs at the tips of the branches.
- Leaves wilting or turning black in summer, well before autumn.
- Dark, diamond-shaped marks on the bark, often where a side shoot meets a branch or the trunk.
- Bushy clumps of new shoots sprouting from the trunk and main branches, as the tree tries to replace what it’s losing.
- Dark staining or damage at the base of the trunk, which can mean the disease or other fungi are attacking the roots.
Not sure it’s even an ash? Ash leaves are made up of several pairs of leaflets with one at the tip, and in winter the buds are a distinctive black, like little hooves.
Why It Matters
As ash dieback takes hold, the dead wood becomes dry and brittle. Branches can drop without warning, even on a calm day, and badly affected trees can fail at the base, especially if the roots are also being attacked.
The Forestry Commission is clear that managing that risk is the responsibility of whoever owns the land the tree grows on. If a tree or branch causes harm or damage, the owner may be liable. So keep an eye on any ash near a house, a road, a path, a play area or a neighbour’s garden.
Does Every Ash Need to Come Down?
No. Some ash trees show tolerance to the disease and stay healthy, and those trees matter for the future of ash in Britain. A tree with only light symptoms, well away from anything it could hit, can often just be watched over a few seasons.
Where a tree is declining near a house, a road or a garden people use, the options usually range from removing dead and dangerous branches to reducing the tree, or taking it down altogether. Which is right depends on how far the disease has gone and what’s underneath it.
Why Earlier Is Usually Safer
Dead ash is brittle, which makes it dangerous to climb and harder to take down in a controlled way. Once a tree is too far gone, the work can need different methods and more equipment, and that usually makes it slower and more expensive.
If you think your ash is declining, getting it looked at sooner gives you more choice and keeps the work simpler.
Permission Still Applies
Ash trees with a Tree Preservation Order or in a conservation area are protected like any other tree. Taking dead branches off a living tree needs no consent or notice. Felling a dead tree needs five working days’ notice to the council, and urgent work on a dangerous tree means telling them as soon as possible. Either way, we keep photos and records as evidence.
Our guide Do I Need Permission to Cut or Prune a Tree? explains the rules.
Replanting
If an ash has to come down, the Forestry Commission recommends replanting, and choosing a mix of species so your garden isn’t relying on one kind of tree. Field maple, hornbeam, small-leaved lime, oak and wild cherry are all good choices in Surrey, depending on space.
See our tree planting page if you’d like us to do it for you.
Got an Ash You’re Not Sure About?
We’ll come and look at it, tell you how far gone it is, and talk you through what makes sense. Sometimes that’s leaving it and checking again next summer, sometimes it’s taking out the dead wood, and sometimes it does need to come down. We check for protected status and nesting birds first, and we can grind out the stump and replant afterwards.
Ring 07522 167 197, or if it’s summer, send us a picture of the whole tree on WhatsApp. Seeing the crown in leaf tells us a lot.
Ash Dieback: Common Questions
How quickly does ash dieback kill a tree?
It varies a lot. Some trees decline over a few years and others over many, depending on the tree, its size and where it’s growing. Some show tolerance and stay healthy.
Is a tree with ash dieback dangerous?
It can become dangerous as the dead wood turns brittle and branches start to drop. How much of a risk it is depends on how badly it’s affected and what’s underneath it, which is why you should have it looked at.
Can ash dieback be treated?
There’s no cure. The disease is managed by keeping an eye on affected trees, removing dangerous dead wood, and taking down trees that become unsafe.
Can I use the wood from an ash with dieback?
Yes. The disease doesn’t stop the timber being used for firewood, as long as it’s been left to season first. We can leave logs cut to size if you want them.
Do I need permission to fell an ash with dieback?
Only if it’s protected by a Tree Preservation Order or is in a conservation area. Garden trees don’t need a felling licence. We check before we quote.