Peak District nursery will replace trees lost to ash dieback

Ash dieback involves a type of fungus that is spread by air-borne spores from the leaves of the tree.

It has spread across Europe and Felicity Stout, woodlands manager for the Peak District National Park Authority, said it was particularly noticeable in the Monsal Head area.

“The landscape already looks different,” she said. “As people drive around they will see many ash trees that are dead or are dying.”

“In my role as woodland manager I have to oversee the felling of ash trees where there has been a risk of them falling onto our trails and roads,” she said.

“That has been hard work because I don’t like cutting trees down.

“But I am really excited because we have the opportunity now to restore these places where there have been ash trees – there are opportunities to make these landscapes more diverse and to actually make them better.”