The Government and local authorities have been accused of washing their hands of what has been described as an emergency posed by dangerous trees infected with ash dieback along the country’s roads.
The number of trees affected by the disease has been described as “frightening” and fears have been raised that it will take a tragedy for authorities to take action.
Estimates suggest upwards of 80pc of Ireland’s ash population could succumb to the disease in the coming years.
The Department of Agriculture has said the trees are the responsibility of the landowner and land ownership normally extends to the centre of the road, therefore it is the landowner, not the local authority, who is responsible for the trees and hedges beside the road.
The Irish Farmers Association has sought a meeting with Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan to discuss the introduction of a financial support package for farmers that need to remove trees with ash dieback in hedgerows along public roads. According to IFA Forestry Chairman Jason Fleming, there are high costs and risks to removing these trees as many are unstable.
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“In terms of main roads, professional tree surgeons are needed, and the road needs to be closed. What we are hearing is it’s costing between €700 and €1,000 per tree and some farmers could have 10 or, in some cases, 20 trees alongside a road. We need support in this. The local authorities, departments and Government just can’t wash their hands of it,” he said.
Fleming described the amount of trees now affected by ash dieback as “frightening”, highlighting the damage that could be done when they fall.
“Will we have to wait until there is a fatal tragedy on the road to take this seriously? God help the person that is out walking or driving in a car,” he said. “Some of these trees have to come down straight away. This is not a waiting game to see if we can get a bit of funding across the line. This is an emergency,” he said.
The Department of the Environment was contacted for comment.
