A DANGEROUS fungus that leads to leaf loss and dead branches on trees is set to be tackled by the city council.

Worcester City Council will begin work to remove diseased and dangerous trees affected by Ash Dieback, on around 5000 ash trees on city council land.

Ash Dieback can cause lesions at the base of the tree, while also making it more prone to secondary infections.

The tree felling programme will begin in the next few weeks with a large tree next to the access road to Astwood Cemetery being among the first to go.

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Cllr Andy Stafford, chair of Worcester City Council’s environment committee, said: “While it is sad to see the loss of so many trees in the city, it is vital that we deal with the problem of Ash Dieback as swiftly as possible to prevent spread and save as many trees as we can.

“In order to try and minimise the impact of Ash Dieback then we will need to remove diseased Ash trees, but we are confident that as we continue in our programme of planting new trees, we can ensure that our wooded areas are the best possible habitats for flora and fauna.

“We are committed to improving Worcester’s environment and making Worcester greener with initiatives such as our wildflower meadows and the rewilding of grass verges. Our ongoing programme of tree planting and woodland management will help to promote biodiversity and provide habitats for wildlife.”

It is expected that a significant number of Ash trees on City Council land will be lost over the next ten years. Advice from the Forestry Commission and Forest Research Agency is that diseased Ash trees in public spaces should be removed early once infection has been diagnosed, to protect public safety.

The UK wide disease will see the trees replaced with a variety of different trees.

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Several mature Ash trees will also be removed in locations such as Diglis Park and Dines Green.

Other trees such as those in Gheluvelt Park are showing clear signs of infection and may also need to be removed.

The effect of Ash Dieback upon the UK is expected to be similar to that of Dutch Elm Disease, that saw millions of trees lost in the 1970s.