TREES have been cut down in Cwmamman park in the battle against ash dieback disease.
Cwmaman town council has instructed local contractor John Andrews and Son to remove a number of ash trees from Parc Golwg Yr Aman in Garnant as the disease continues to affect the native tree species.
Ash dieback, spread into Europe from Asia, is a fungal disease, which spreads quickly from tree to tree through spores in the wind.
The spores of this fungus can travel in the wind so it is possible that it arrived in the UK naturally however it was also inadvertently imported on ash saplings. The UK was importing thousands of ash plants from infected parts of Europe until a ban came into place in 2012. This is thought to have sped up the spread of the disease within the UK because the disease was able to spread from areas of new planting via wind to mature trees.
It can cause leaf loss and diamond-shaped bark lesions and is usually fatal. There are fears it could affect up to 90 per cent of the UK’s 100 million-odd ash trees.
Cwmaman town council has pledged to conduct a replanting scheme in the autumn.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here