Wakehurst in Sussex closes nature reserve due to deadly tree disease: ash dieback forces 150-acre heaven near Haywards Heath to shut

The botanic gardens announced this morning (Thursday, December 15) that it has shut its 150-acre haven of wetlands, meadows and woodlands to carry out ‘vital felling work’.

Wakehurst said diseased trees pose a risk to visitors and said experts will work to prevent branches from falling on paths.

Arboretum manager Russell Croft said: “We have already made strong progress removing infected ash trees from roadsides around Wakehurst, as well as other areas within the gardens. The safety of our visitors and staff is our priority, so it’s essential we reduce and prevent the signs of ash dieback in our woodlands.”

This is the first time Wakehurst has had to close such a large part of its gardens since opening in 1965. Over the past decade, tree surveys across the site revealed that over 90 per cent of ash at Wakehurst had signs of ash dieback. These signs include a reduced canopy, dark lesions in the trunk and blackened leaves.

Director of Wakehurst Ed Ikin said: “Recent extreme weather such as drought stress has only accelerated ash dieback’s spread. The closure of our nature reserve marks a pivotal moment in our history, as we fight this deadly disease, and serves as a reminder of how the work we undertake at Kew is critical to combat the twin threats of biodiversity loss and climate change.”

Ash dieback is a deadly fungus that was discovered in the UK ten years ago. It is expected to kill up to 75 per cent of ash trees across the country. Kew scientists have developed genetic screens to predict ash tree survival, which will create an opportunity for an accelerated ash breeding programme. RBG Kew also hopes to preserve ash for the future through horticultural management, seed banking and pioneering scientific research.

Wakehurst also revealed that there are promising signs of some ash trees being tolerant to dieback, and researchers aim to generate a new population of resilient ash.

Professor Richard Buggs, senior research leader (plant health), has been conducting studies over the past decade to explore correlations between genetic variants in healthy and unhealthy ash trees.

He said: “While many ash trees will die, our findings are encouraging from a long‐term perspective and reassure us that ash woodlands will one day flourish again.”

Scientists at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) have also been conducting two further projects to conserve ash trees.

Ted Chapman, UK conservation partnerships co-ordinator said: “A small proportion of trees have shown tolerance to ash dieback, so identifying and collecting seeds and other genetic material from these trees remains a priority for the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). Our tree seed collecting project is one of the many initiatives Kew has launched to secure our planet’s future, contributing to the MSB’s vast collection, or what we like to call ‘the Noah’s ark for plants’.”

Work at Wakehurst is expected to take several months. Visit www.kew.org/wakehurst for updates.