WORK to fell trees affected by ash dieback is progressing ahead of schedule.
Up to 120 diseased trees are being felled on a 19-hectare site of ancient woodland in Harpsden and Peveril Woods, which is owned by the Woodland Trust.
The work had been anticipated to take up to five weeks but should be done in just three.
Ash die back causes trees to become brittle and the roots to rot, making them liable to drop branches and fall unexpectedly.
Trees between a permissive footpath and the boundary of the Henley Golf Club course are being cut down as they could pose a danger to walkers and golfers. Some are overhanging the fairway near the clubhouse.
Contractor Daniel Holder, who works for Ben Nicholson Tree Services, of Ewhurst, Surrey, and his team of six are using a combination of climbing and large machinery to take down the trees.
He said: “The trees are heavily deteriorating. If they were left for much longer we wouldn’t be able to climb them. It gets to the point where you can’t safely climb, which is why I’m glad we’re doing it now.”
James Stevenson, site manager for trust, said the work had to take place in August when the ground was dry to prevent the machinery from slipping and because the bird breeding season was mostly over.
He said: “It’s a tricky one because with tree safety we don’t hang about. It was identified in 2020 that they were deteriorating and we needed to get on top of it.
“We’re working with the golf club as closely as we can. It’s for the members’ safety and we’re interacting with the groundskeeper and the golfers. We’re often doing work later in the day when people aren’t teeing off.”
On the footpath, the contractors need to remove the trees without damaging surrounding trees, hitting a powerline that runs behind the path or golfers walking along the course on the oppostite side.
Mr Holder said: “We’ve got a lot of things against us. As long as the golf club plays ball I plan on getting most of these trees down and finish by the tail end of next week, so it will be three weeks in total.”
The men are doing everything they can to minimise the impact of the felling on the ecology of the woods. Before the work began, a bat survey and two breeding bird surveys were carried out.
Mr Holder said: “We’ve inspected every tree and there’s nothing there.” Some of the undergrowth in the wood had to be cut back to allow the machine to move through it. Mr Stevenson said: “The understorey plants like hazel and field maple respond really well to being cut back. They can grow a couple of feet a year. The shade-tolerant plants under the canopy will grow back okay. We can we mitigate any impacts on wildlife.”
The team has already removed 65 diseased ash trees on trust land at Ipsden.
Mr Richardson said that removing trees affected by ash dieback made up 70 per cent of his work.
He said: “When I started 15 years ago I didn’t think it was going to be a catastrophe but it has got a lot worse in the last five years. If it wasn’t for this it would just be individual trees, not whole landscapes.”
Mr Stevenson said: “We’re focusing a lot of energy on ash dieback and hopefully we’ll get on top of it in 10 years and have some ash that will survive.”
www.henleystandard.co.uk
http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/environment/182685/felling-of-diseased-ash-trees-ahead-of-schedule.html
