Work to tackle dying ash trees at Brackla Hill to begin

Starting on Monday 24 June 2024, Bridgend County Borough Council will begin work to remove diseased trees struck down with Ash Dieback Disease (ADD).

The council has identified an area at Brackla Hill Woodland, along the rear of Lark Rise and Hazel Tree Way, where a number of ash trees are suffering from ADD and will need to be felled and the timber removed.

Ash dieback is the most devastating tree disease since Dutch Elm disease, which killed 60 million elm trees in the UK during two epidemics in the 1920s and 1970s. Infected trees weaken over time, posing a safety risk, with branches of the trees falling onto footpaths, roads, and property.

The scale of health and safety risks caused by Ash Dieback needs to be managed effectively to minimise any risks to people or property in the area.

The council’s Green Spaces team have undertaken the following:

• Tree safety surveys have been carried out to identify where any imminent work may be required within areas vested with Green Spaces.
• Where trees are at the stage of posing a potential risk to the public, arrangements are being made for their removal. 
• Where trees have been removed, natural regeneration is being proposed, wherever possible, particularly in woodlands.
• Some selective replanting may be desirable in certain locations, with potential funding being sought to support this.

Heavy forestry machinery will be brought in from Ger y Coed and will travel across the grass area into the woodland at the rear of Hunter Ridge. Access will be cut through the woodland to allow the machinery to access the rear of Lark Rise.

It is devastating to see how many trees have been affected by Ash Dieback and must be removed. The work is unavoidable, and we are working with our contractors to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

The works are scheduled to take approximately four to six weeks to complete, and the contractors will have possession of the site and will keep the area secure during the working day.

The community are requested to obey all signage and instructions to keep themselves and the workers safe while this work is being carried out. The Green Spaces Service apologises in advance for any inconvenience that may be experienced during the works.

Corporate Director for Communities, Janine Nightingale

For more information about Ash Dieback Disease, please visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/ash-dieback