A Landowner's Guide to Ash Dieback

Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is having a devastating impact on the UK's landscape. For homeowners, farmers, and property managers in Kent and South East London, where ash trees are a common feature, understanding this disease is not just an environmental concern—it's a matter of safety and legal responsibility.

This guide explains how to identify ash dieback, outlines your legal duties, and details how a professional tree survey can help you manage the risk effectively.

How to Spot the Signs of Ash Dieback

Early identification is key to managing the problem. A professional arborist can provide a definitive diagnosis, but any landowner should be vigilant for these common symptoms:

• In Summer:

  • Leaf Loss & Crown Dieback: The most obvious sign is dieback at the very top of the tree, with branches becoming bare and leaves wilting.

  • Dark Leaf Spots: Leaves develop dark, wilting patches, often spreading down the leaf stalk.

• In Autumn and Winter:

  • Diamond-Shaped Lesions: Look for small, dark, diamond-shaped lesions on the bark where branches meet the trunk. These are a classic indicator.

  • Staining of Wood: Beneath the bark lesions, the wood is often stained a brownish-grey.

  • New Growth: The tree may attempt to regrow from its base, a sign of stress.

Your Legal 'Duty of Care' as a Landowner

Once a tree is infected, it becomes significantly weaker and more brittle. This makes it prone to shedding branches or even complete collapse, posing a serious risk to people and property.

Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, all landowners have a 'duty of care' to take reasonable steps to ensure visitors and neighbours are not harmed by their trees. For ash dieback, this means you are legally responsible for:

• Arranging regular tree assessments of ash trees in high-risk zones (e.g., near roads, public footpaths, buildings, or car parks).

• Creating a management plan based on a professional tree risk assessment.

• Taking action (such as pruning or felling) where an unacceptable risk is identified.

Ignoring a diseased ash tree can lead to significant liability issues should an incident occur.

How to Manage Infected Ash Trees

While there is no cure or effective ash dieback treatment, this does not mean you are helpless. A proactive management plan is essential.

An ash dieback survey from a qualified tree consultant will form the basis of this plan. The goal is not necessarily to fell every ash tree, but to manage the risk intelligently. This involves categorising trees based on their health and location to determine a course of action, which could range from regular monitoring for healthy trees in low-risk areas to the prompt removal of dangerous trees near public spaces.

Unbiased Advice from Arboricultural Consultants in Kent, London, Surrey and the South East

At Canopy IQ, we provide specialist ash tree surveys and tree condition surveys across Kent, from Sevenoaks and Maidstone to Folkestone and Canterbury. We also serve clients throughout Bromley, Bexley, and South East London.

Crucially, we are an arboricultural consultancy, not a tree surgery company. This means our recommendations are always impartial and focused solely on your best interests and legal obligations. We provide you with a clear, expert report that you can use to instruct a tree surgeon, confident that the prescribed work is necessary.

If you are concerned about ash trees on your land, contact us today for an expert evaluation. Protect your property, ensure public safety, and meet your duty of care with confidence.