Ash Dieback Management Stirling

Inspection, risk assessment and controlled removal of ash trees affected by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus across Stirling, Falkirk and Central Scotland. Fully insured with £5 million public liability cover.

★★★★★

Ash dieback (Chalara) is a fungal disease caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It affects ash trees across the UK and is now widespread in Central Scotland. The disease causes leaf loss, crown dieback and bark lesions that weaken the tree’s structure over time. Infected ash trees become brittle and unpredictable, and branches or entire stems can fail without warning.

According to NatureScot, ash dieback is expected to affect the majority of ash trees in Scotland. For landowners, local authorities and anyone with ash trees on or near their property, managing the risk is not optional. A dead or dying ash tree near a road, path, building or boundary is a serious liability.

Ash dieback progresses through recognisable stages. Knowing what to look for helps you act before a tree becomes dangerous.

• Leaf loss and thin canopy. Affected trees lose leaves earlier than healthy ash and produce fewer leaves each spring. The canopy becomes visibly sparse, especially at the top and outer edges.
• Dark lesions on bark. Diamond-shaped patches of dead bark appear on the trunk and branches. These lesions weaken the wood beneath and create entry points for secondary fungal infections.
• Epicormic growth. The tree produces clusters of small shoots from the trunk and lower branches as a stress response. This gives the tree a bushy, unnatural appearance lower down while the crown continues to thin.
• Dead branches in the crown. Entire branches die back from the tips inward. Dead ash wood becomes brittle quickly and can snap and fall in light winds, making the tree hazardous.
• Basal decay. In advanced cases, secondary fungi like honey fungus attack the roots and base. This can cause the entire tree to fail at ground level with little or no warning.

Not every ash tree with dieback needs to come down immediately. Some can be monitored and managed over time. Others need prompt removal before they become a danger. Our job is to assess each tree honestly and recommend the right course of action.

Inspection and risk assessment. We visit your site and examine each ash tree individually. We look at the stage of infection, the structural condition of the trunk and root plate, and the tree’s proximity to people, property, roads and boundaries. Trees in high-traffic areas or near buildings are prioritised.

Monitoring where appropriate. If a tree is in the early stages of dieback and poses no immediate risk, we may recommend a monitoring programme. This means revisiting at agreed intervals to track progression and intervene only when necessary. This is often the most practical approach for ash trees in low-risk locations such as open fields or woodland edges.

Controlled removal. When a tree needs to come down, we carry out the work using sectional dismantling techniques. Ash affected by dieback is often brittle and unpredictable, so straight felling is rarely safe. We work from the top down, rigging each piece to the ground in a controlled way. This protects the surrounding property, other trees and anyone nearby. For more on our removal process, see our tree felling page.

If you own land with ash trees on it, you have a duty of care to manage any risk those trees pose to people and property. This applies to private homeowners, farmers, estates, local authorities and businesses.

A diseased ash tree that drops a branch onto a footpath, road or neighbouring property could result in a liability claim. If it can be shown that the risk was foreseeable and nothing was done, the consequences can be significant.

We help landowners across Stirling, Falkirk and Central Scotland stay on top of this by providing clear assessments, written reports where needed and practical solutions that balance safety with cost. If a tree can safely stay for now, we will tell you. If it needs to come down, we will explain why and get it done properly.

Stump removal after felling is available as a follow-on service. See our stump grinding page for details.

Or call 07599 00 88 09