Woodland Whispers

Are chemical messages being pumped out by an ailing ash tree, asks Val, to encourage dormant seeds to grow?

THE ash tree near my house is in distress and has been for a few years. It’s due to ash dieback caused by (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), a fungus that originated in Asia. Our native ash (Fraxinus excelsior) has no natural resistance to this foreign invader, and the disease has spread more quickly than predicted. It arrived in 2012, but a 2019 survey found infections had been confirmed across 80% of Wales, 68% of England, 32% of Northern Ireland and 20% of Scotland. Lots of trees are being felled near roads and railway lines, and the Woodland Trust predicts that 95% of ash trees will be killed by the fungus.

The Woodland Trust’s website states: ‘The fungus overwinters in leaf litter on the ground, particularly on ash leaf stalks. It produces small white fruiting from July to October, which release spores into the surrounding atmosphere. These spores can blow tens of miles away. They land on leaves, stick to and then penetrate into the leaf and beyond. The fungus then grows inside the tree, blocking its water transport systems, causing it to die.’