Felling work is being carried out at Llanfair’s Deri Woods in response to an outbreak of Ash Die Back Disease.

Both paths through Goat Field which is on the eastern side of Deri Woods will be closed on Saturday, April 8 to make way for felling work in the area.

Fourteen Ash Trees in the region have been identified as carrying the Ash Die Back Disease, a fungal infection that grows inside the tree, eventually blocking its water transport systems, causing it to die.

The paths will be sealed off with notices from 8.30am until 6pm.

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According to The Woodland Trust, the introduction of Ash Dieback to UK woodlands could have “a devastating impact on the landscape and the biodiversity of our woodlands”.

Trees infected with the disease exhibit a number of symptoms, such as leaves developing darker patches in the summer, wilting, discolouring and lesions developing where branches meet the trunk of a tree.

The ash dieback fungus wasn’t formally described until 2006, but it has been known of in Europe for about 30 years.

As a result, numerous organisations responsible for the management and upkeep of woodlands across the UK have been closely monitoring for the disease and control the spread of the disease.

Llanfair Caereinion Town Council have stated that a replanting programme to compensate for the fourteen felled trees will take place in due course.

The Town Council has carried out works in Deri Woods earlier in 2022, with tree thinning being undertaken in February in accordance with the town’s biodiversity plan.

Deri Woods and Goat Field are the only council owned sites in the area which are listed as a habitat of principal importance for Wales under the Environment Act of 2016, being home to several species of significance.

Llanfair Council has created a management plan for the area to try and protect the region’s biodiversity, based on a report carried out by Coed Cadw Woodland Trust.

A town council spokesperson said: “Taken to its ultimate conclusion, without a concerted effort to thin the non-native trees, Deri Woods would go through a phase of severe decline.

“On the other hand, following the recommendations of the restoration plan will ensure Deri Woods continues as a high-quality wildlife and public amenity for many decades to come.”

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