“The Clash of the Ash” - resilient ash trees in Rhode enters Teagasc scientific trials.
Tullamore native and longstanding forest stewardship advocate Tom Roche, now living in Rhode, has entered the race to support Ireland’s long-term recovery of the iconic ash tree. He is calling on everyone to get involved in the ‘citizen science’ program coordinated by Teagasc to conserve and restore Ireland’s iconic ash species for future generations.
Our native ash is a special tree in Ireland. It has long been a familiar sight in Irish hedgerows and landscapes and is culturally and ecologically significant. It’s the traditional wood used to make hurleys in Ireland’s national sport of hurling, giving rise to the phrase “The Clash of the Ash”.
Ash dieback is a serious disease of ash trees caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (previously known as Chalara fraxinea). Ash dieback is decimating ash populations across Europe, including Ireland. First detected here in 2012, the disease spreads through airborne spores and infects trees via leaf litter. It causes leaf wilting, crown dieback, and root rot, ultimately leading to death. Young ash trees are more susceptible, with mortality rates nearing 100% in some areas.
“Our native European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is widely considered a keystone species in Irish woodland ecosystems, providing crucial habitat for roughly 1,000 species, including insects, birds, mammals, lichens, and mosses. As a dominant species, its open canopy allows light to reach the forest floor, supporting diverse understorey plants, and that’s why I am delighted to support Teagasc’s ash recovery program.” according to Roche.
Signs of the disease are now very evident in Irish hedgerows, where skeletal ash trees with barren tips are becoming increasingly common. The impact is significant to that of the Dutch Elm Disease (DED), which wiped out elms across Ireland and Europe.
Ash wood is celebrated for its exceptional strength, shock resistance, and flexibility. These traits make it the material of choice for sports equipment like baseball bats, hockey sticks, hurleys, tool handles (axes, hammers), indoor furniture (tables, chairs), and flooring. As a young boy serving my apprenticeship with Barney O’Connor in the Market Square, Tullamore, I was very familiar with the qualities, versatility and the many uses of ash. The O’Connor workshop sourced all its ash locally from Jack Dunne in Clonad Sawmills (Digby Estate). We used ash in carts and wheels, bog barrows, grass board for hay mowing machines and connecting rods for combine harvesters amongst many other useful items that needed a durable timber.
According to the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, the first confirmed finding of the disease in Ireland was made in October 2012 and since then has spread rapidly across every county. In total, 15,897 hectares of ash forests were grant aided between 1990 and 2013. As the disease took hold and spread, impact levels reached a status within infected forests where it was no longer considered appropriate to manage ash as a crop. Objectives then focused on clearance of ash trees and their replacement with appropriate and resilient alternative species.
Following engagement, feedback was kindly provided by 78 respondents. However, a cohort of forest owners indicated that they had sold their trees standing to operators such as firewood/wood chip contractors who had included the ash material as part of the agreement. Where such agreements were in place, it was not possible to provide felling and extraction costs for those situations. Costings were therefore compiled from harvesting and site clearance figures from a total of 52 respondents.
Costings included actual harvesting and clearance cost incurred and, in some cases, quotations received to carry out clearance activities which had not, at the time, gone ahead. This analysis provides an overall snapshot of such costing across a varied range of parameters and situations.
However the costs to the tax-payer for clearance of affected ash has been considerable. A report was compiled by the Teagasc Forestry Development Department to support the work of the Forest Strategy Consultative Committee (FSCC) Ash Dieback Taskforce which convened for its first meeting during May 2024
‘The average clearance cost across all those provided by respondents was found to be €3,239 per hectare. However wide variation was found across the range of costs provided. This was based on factors such as forest size, forest age, growth rates, access levels, disease severity, varying site conditions, previous management and harvesting system used. Analysis indicated significant clustering of forest harvest and clearance costings within the €2,000 - €4,000 per hectare with 73.1 percent of respondents reported costings falling within this band.’
In his article - ‘Ash dieback scheme still facing major challenges’, written by Donal Magner in the Irish Farmers Journal dated 30 July 2025, Magner states, “Despite payments of €5,000/ha and clearance grant of €2,000/ha, only 1,230 of 6,500 ash forest owners avail of enhanced ash reconstitution scheme.”
Citizen science is playing a vital role in saving the Irish ash population from ash dieback. Let’s make sure Ireland’s iconic ash tree heritage does not disappear. Get involved in the ‘citizen science’ effort to conserve and restore the species for future generations. If you spot an ash tree that still has 70% to 100% of its crown (leaves) still intact please report it to Teagasc and be part of their ‘citizen science’ program.
For an update on the Teagasc Ash Project please visit: https://teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/ashforfuture-project-breeding-common-ash-for-dieback-disease-tolerance/
ENDS
Source:
https://teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/advice/forest-protection/ash-dieback/#Introduction
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/more/forestry/ash-dieback-scheme-still-facing-major-challenges-878589
https://teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/advice/forest-protection/dutch-elm-disease/