Ash Dieback disease in West Sussex: resident dismayed at ‘complete and utter destruction’ at nature reserve but council insists ‘robust approach’ is needed

Sarah Hack, 46, said she and other residents are upset by the ‘complete and utter destruction’ of parts of Eastern Road Nature Reserve.

Mid Sussex District Council said work is necessary to remove trees struck down with Ash Dieback disease. It began on August 21 with additional tree felling added from Monday, September 11.

Sarah, who lives close to the nature reserve, said that she and others were shocked by the extent of the tree removal and are now worried that no suitable wildlife habitat has been preserved.

“They’ve just completely flattened everything,” Sarah told the Middy, adding that the work has left the ground ‘churned up’ with ‘ragged tree stumps’ left at the site.

She said: “I understand that if the ash trees are dangerous they need to be removed – it's a public space and they don’t want trees falling on people's heads – but it just seems so extreme.”

Sarah sent this newspaper photos of the site taken on Thursday morning, September 14.

She said: “Usually you arrive at the car park and go through the gate and have a choice of four or five different paths to go down, to explore and go in different directions.”

Now she said the area is ‘completely desolate’ and fears that the ‘devastation’ could continue into other parts of the reserve.

But Mid Sussex District Council has defended the decision, saying they are ‘committed to taking a robust approach to mitigate the damage’ from Ash Dieback. They said they are working with the Forestry Commission make sure they are taking necessary actions.

An MSDC spokesperson said: “The removal of trees across our district, and across the UK is devastating for us all and it is estimated that the disease will kill up to 90 per cent of all ash trees in the UK over the next decade.”

Sarah said she had hoped that a more conservative method could have been used to tackle the Ash Dieback problem, like cutting off infected limbs or cordoning off areas.

She said: “I’m very suspicious that all of the trees were in that bad a state that they needed removing immediately. I don’t know whether a ‘watch and wait’ approach would have been maybe more appropriate or maybe just removing a few at a time.”

Sarah added: “It’s a nature reserve and it just seems that there's no reservation for nature now.”

The council responded that while their contracted arborists were removing the trees affected by Ash Dieback, around 200 more were identified to be unsafe because of soil quality and increased wind exposure.

The MSDC spokesperson said: “We appreciate that it is upsetting to see further trees removed but the safety of our community comes first, and as a result the work is unavoidable. Inevitably the loss of ash trees from our green spaces will impact wildlife through the loss of habitat and food, and we are working with the Forestry Commission to identify opportunities for regrowth and improved biodiversity. When the work is completed, our contractors will remove the debris and clear the paths at Eastern Road Nature Reserve.”

The council added that there will be plans to replant the area too.