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Tree disease found on Island for first time

Tue, 25 Jul 2017

The Government is issuing advice to landowners after a tree disease was found on the Isle of Man for the first time.

The presence of Chalara ash dieback diseases has been detected on private land in the south of the Island and the surrounding area.

The disease, which is well-established in the UK after first being detected there in 2012, can be fatal to trees and is spread by spores.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is urging landowners to look out for the signs of the disease, and to take steps to minimise the chance of it spreading.

Infected plants show unseasonal leaf loss, dieback and bark lesions, and the risk of spread can be reduced by burning the infected tree.

Around a fifth of the Island's hedgerow trees are ash.

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