Deryshire Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with Natural England, who are leading the LIFE in the Ravines Project. The project has received £5 million in funding, with £3.6m from the EU LIFE Programme and the remainder from project partners. This project's aim is to help 876 hectares of forest survive this threat with a programme of woodland management and tree planting.
Ash dieback, if left, will cause catastrophic devastation to ravine forests in the Peak District. Felling of diseased trees is due to start in January, followed by a tree planting programme which will see a number of tree species such as small and large leaved lime (Tilia cordata, Tilia platyphyllos), aspen (Populus tremula) and willow (Salix species); to help build resilience and add to the diversity of surrounding wildlife.
Kate Bradshaw, Living Landscapes Officer for the White Peak says: “The ravine woodlands of Derbyshire Dales are an incredibly special habitat and important on an international scale. This partnership project will not only help to mitigate the threat of ash die back, but will also make our woodlands more resilient to any future changes that might threaten these important ecosystems.”
James Marshall, Area Manager at Natural England added: ‘‘Ash dieback is such a devastating, and now very visible disease and that’s why it’s critical that Natural England is working with a range of partners to deliver the Life in the Ravines project, including the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, to ensure that the iconic ravine woodlands of the White Peak area survived for the future.’
Project partners have assisted the LIFE in the Ravines team to complete woodland surveys to assess what species are present and give a risk rating for how badly ash dieback is likely to affect the area. Starting in January, trees will be thinned with some mature trees left standing but enough light and space to plant new trees in the same area to enable them to flourish.
What is Ash Dieback
Ash dieback will kill around 80% of ash trees in the UK. Ravine forests of the Peak District are mostly dominated by ash trees and with ash dieback causing devastation, the woodlands would see devastation amongst its eco-system without intervention. Ash dieback is a disease caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphys fraxineus. The fungus has two stages – a sexual stage that helps the fungus spread and an asexual stage that grows on the tree. Once the fungus has grown it blocks water transport systems in the tree, which then causes the tree to die.
