DIO carries out tree felling on Salisbury Plain

DIO has been working with Landmarc Support Services to enact a tree felling plan to prevent a fungus spreading to ash trees on Salisbury Plain.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will begin a tree felling scheme alongside Landmarc Support Services to prevent the further spread of Ash Dieback, a fungal disease affecting ash trees on Salisbury Plain. Infection can lead to the death of young trees in just two to three years and of mature trees within three to five years.

Approximately 14,000 trees across 250 locations have been affected by the disease on the Salisbury Plain Training Area. To protect the public and estate users, DIO foresters and ecologists are working with Landmarc, the Forestry Commission and Natural England to inspect and remove infected trees.

South West Woodland Resilience Officer from the Forestry Commission, Chris Sorensen, said:”Since ash dieback was identified in 2012, we have been working with a range of stakeholders and have invested more than £37 million into tree health research, including funding research into the biology and pathology of the disease.”

“We encourage all owners of woodland to think strategically about the management of their ash trees and adopt best practice to help reduce the impact of the disease. The MOD takes conservation very seriously and we are committed to completing a replanting scheme to replace felled ash trees with a range of native species trees.”

The work will take place in phases and should be completed in approximately 3 years, with tree health surveying and monitoring continuing once felling is complete. A replanting scheme will also take place to replace lost trees in accordance with the requirements of the felling licences.

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