Living Ash Project

[oldclaypaws]

Living Ash Project is a woodland owner involvement 5 year programme funded by Defra which aims to identify disease resistant Ash trees, in the hope that a new stock can be used to save this important species in the UK. If you apply (its quick and simple), you receive 5 'tags' and are asked to monitor 5 trees in your wood and submit an annual report on their condition. You could be the key owner of one of the trees that will save the Ash !

about; http://livingashproject.org.uk/#


apply for tags to join scheme; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tdsc3kvLyeOOjUput3zy2dSKVVaT-bRuvh-M2RqmHSE/viewform

[SimonFisher]

I've received my pack of five aluminium tags and nails, and instructions on the reverse of the fold-out mailer pack. The card on which the tags are provided even doubles as a nail holder - "we don't want anyone to accidentally hit their fingers"! Now to pick my trees.

[Dexter's Shed]

@simon;

so what happens next?
does someone come around with a clipboard every so often, or is it left to you to collect information and enter monthly/yearly via computer?

[SimonFisher]

so what happens next? does someone come around with a clipboard every so often, or is it left to you to collect information and enter monthly/yearly via computer?

The latter - once I've picked my trees and fixed the tags, I'll register them at http://www.ashtag.org, for each detailing tree location, providing a photo of the tree and of any infected branches, and giving details such as height and girth and details of its environment. I'll then be encouraged to provide an update about each tree once a season. If the stuff I submit is of particular interest to the experts, they'll get in touch.

[davetb]

My 5 tags arrived today. I don't think I'll use the 'nail holder' . If I can't put 10 small aluminium nails in without an injury I shouldn't own a wood. Not sure about the geo tagging and finding tagged ash trees. Our wood has no public access. I don't think it's a good idea for people to be potentially spreading disease moving from ash tree to ash tree.
The bumf says,
" add new images and comments for your tagged trees and go hunting for other AshTagged trees by using the AshTag map"
I'll tag 5 and comply with all the research but will not be giving a specific GPS location.

[oldclaypaws]

Somebody hasn't thought this through and the ashtag app / online find an ashtag map is absolute stupidity- biosecurity suicide. You can just see some idiots deciding to selfie themselves against hundreds of trees, standing up against each one, then on to the next tree.....

" I know, why don't we have hundreds of people able to find all the nicest Ash trees, wander from tree to tree spreading Chalara, then we'll find out really quickly which are resistant, having rapidly spread the disease across the whole country in a matter of months. We could ask them to carry plague bearing fleas at the same time maybe, to reduce the global population issue?"

[Dexter's Shed]

one of my many reasons for not applying for tags

[oldclaypaws]

Theres a major organisational cock-up here, they're inviting owners of private woods to tag their trees, photograph them and submit a GPS location in the name of saving Ash trees. But then they're also putting the location of the same trees online for anyone surfing to see and inviting the world to go and visit them

use the live map of all tagged trees to go ‘AshTag hunting’, and see how many tagged trees you can find.

, without any consideration that private owners might not want strangers wandering on to their private property, trespassing, potentially covered in Chalara spores and wanting to nose round their trees,woods, sheds and other property.

I'm all for the scheme to monitor trees and find resistant ones, but don't think they've thought through the privacy, biodiversity and access issues. There's nothing to suggest the trees may be on private land and you might either need permission to view them, or simply can't. Sounds like trouble and a trespassers charter."But the website said we can visit the trees, so we have permission from DEFRA".

[SimonFisher]

one of my many reasons for not applying for tags

Your other reasons?

[Rankinswood]

I checked out the living ash scheme and at first I thought that this is a commendable initiative but when it came to registering for the "free" tags I became uneasy about divulging details of ownership and woodland location. I am aware that at least one of the key parties involved in this project has for a long time been trying to establish just who own England's woodlands and has even published academic papers on this topic. I remain suspicious about motives and misuse of data and so regretably I have decided not to take part in this project.

If these trees are going to die then unless someone comes up with a cure then that will happen and we will have to deal with the consequencies.

Rankinswood