The lane ash.
An ash with dieback in its crown and an old wound where a limb had been lost, beside a school-bus route.
- Ash
- Fraxinus excelsior
- Rural lane, South Gloucestershire
Ash dieback thins the crown from the tips. The stem was the other question: a decay pocket behind the old limb wound, with dark zone lines where the fungus met the tree’s defences.
The wall behind the pocket measured 92 mm on a 308 mm radius: t/R 0.30, right on the guide. Borderline, beside a bus route, with a declining crown.
We recommended a phased reduction over two winters and a re-inspection each summer, so the decision to fell, if it comes, rests on how the crown actually responds.
Resistance-drill trace
Bark → depth · the trace drops where the needle meets decay
“Nothing was rushed and nothing was left to guesswork.”
Landowner · Rural lane, South Gloucestershire