Storm's 'destructive trail' exposes 'hundreds' of ash trees infected with disease
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Storm Isha’s "destructive trail" in recent days has "exposed hundreds of ash trees" infected with ash dieback disease, according to Cork senator Tim Lombard.
Mr Lombard has urged for Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien to put in place a fund to allow local authorities across the country to carry out surveys to identify ash dieback in roadside trees, and have them removed to prevent the problem from spreading.
Ash dieback is a serious fungal disease in ash trees which causes them to die.
It first came to Ireland in 2012 on imported European plants.
The disease is prevalent across the country and is predicted to cause the death of the majority of the ash trees over the next 20 years.
"On Monday morning, I was contacted by a number of landowners who told me that many of the roadside ash trees that fell in the wake of Storm Isha appeared perfectly healthy but were found to be infected with this serious disease," Mr Lombard said.
"Ash trees are most common in our hedgerows and often found along our roads. This realisation shows the need for more regular inspection of roadside ash trees.
"There is a potential liability here for both landowners and homeowners. While there is an ash dieback scheme in place for plantations, there is nothing for roadside trees."
Mr Lombard said that additional financial supports should be allocated for the safe removal of trees that are weakened from the disease.
"Met Éireann recorded hurricane-strength gusts at weather stations during Sunday’s storm," he continued.
"By minimising the risk of trees falling, we can remove a major health and safety hazard from our roads, particularly during the severe weather conditions like those brought on by Storm Isha and those predicted for Storm Jocelyn and future extreme weather events."
Storm Jocelyn will bring very strong southwest to west winds with severe and damaging gusts in the coming hours.
There is a status orange wind warning in place for counties Galway, Mayo, and Donegal later today, while a status yellow is in place for elsewhere.
Met Éireann is warning of difficult travelling conditions, fallen trees, damage to power lines, and large coastal waves with waves overtopping.
