Managing Ash Dieback on the Woodland Trust Urban Estate

Event Information

This talk is an in-depth look into The Woodland Trusts approach and methodology to managing ash die back on our urban estate over the last decade looking at lessons learnt and whether there can possibly be any silver linings to this tree disease.

It’s been 10 years since ash dieback was first identified within the UK. Colin Riley from The Woodland Trust takes a closer look at what exactly ash dieback is, what the effect will be on UK Woodlands, The WT approach to managing woodlands with extensive ash dieback and reflects on public perceptions of the work carried out so far including feedback from “celebrity politicians”. He concludes by looking at operational planning constraints and whether we can find any silver linings to ash dieback. Much of the focus is on urban woodlands but many of the principles can be applied to any woodland suffering from ash dieback.

Contributors

Colin Riley has worked for The Woodland Trust in the Operations Department for 23 years as a Site Manager. He cares for a large portfolio of over 40 woodlands across Lancashire & Greater Manchester with the help of volunteers & contractors. He manages a wide range of sites from young broadleaved plantations through to majestic ancient woodlands across a variety of settings from Urban through to Rural.

Hannah Patterson - Whilst studying a Masters in 'People and The Environment' at the University of Aberdeen, Hannah fell in love with the Scottish culture, history and landscape. Following her studies, she volunteered and worked with the National Trust for Scotland for 4 years learning the practical skills required for conservation work. She joined the Woodland Trust in 2019 as the Assistant Site Manager for the Central Scotland sites and was promoted to Site Manager at the end of 2021. This role covers urban sites located in West Lothian, 13 of which are in Livingston.