South Ayrshire schools checked for potentially dangerous diseased trees

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Schools across South Ayrshire were among the first to be checked for potentially dangerous diseased ash trees, a report has revealed.South Ayrshire Council cabinet were given the assurance as they signed off on a £7m plan to deal with Ash Dieback, a fungal disease that can endanger the public by causing branches to fall and the trees to potentially collapse.Almost 7,000 Ash trees were identified by the council as showing signs of Ash Dieback and are likely to require chopping down under health and safety guidance.While the Ash population will be decimated, there is a hope that the trees that survive the disease will provide the catalyst for future replanting which is resistant to Ash Dieback.However, there is no quick fix, as the cabinet heard that ongoing assessments and felling of trees would take place over a seven year period, while the impact of the replanting would not be seen for 10 to 15 years.SAC’s grounds maintenance co-ordinator, Fiona Ross, said that the disease posed a risk to public safety and would have a ‘significant impact’ on the economy, the biodiversity and the landscape of South Ayrshire.She added that all school properties had been assessed and that the council had ‘managed all the trees within those locations’ during the school holidays.Ms Ross told the cabinet that SAC is one of the first Scottish councils to complete surveys of the trees it is responsible for, with the assessment discovering almost 7000 trees showing signs of the disease, although not all of those fell under council responsibility.Almost 2,200 have been categorised as at most risk and are in such poor condition that they cannot be climbed to be felled.Instead, Ms Ross said, the council will have to provide a platform or other