The chalara ash dieback which is expected to kill at least 50 percent of the UK’s 120 million ash trees was only first identified back in 2012. The discovery of a 2000 year-old ash with strong resistance to dieback raises hopes in the battle against the disease.
The tree is known as Betty and lives in the aptly named Ashwellthorpe Wood, in Norfolk. It goes to show the importance of treating our natural environment with respect and care, and not ripping out old trees and hedgerows will-nilly. We may not know what we’re destroying!
A report by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, highlighted that 2,000 new plant species were discovered globally last year. However the bad news is that many plants are living on borrowed time as they face many threats. They are already in ‘extinction debt’ it suggests, hit by global warming but with the true impacts not set to be revealed for some time.
Hopefully Betty will help vanquish this disastrous fungal disease that is assailing the ash.
