Ash dieback in Dovedale

Ash dieback was first recorded in the UK in 2012, most likely originating from trees imported into the UK from mainland Europe. Can anything be done to prevent it from wiping out native ash trees?

Figure 1 Location of Dovedale in the Peak District National Park

The valley of the River Dove, and in particular a section centred on the hamlet of Milldale, is known to walkers and visitors to the Peak District National Park simply as Dovedale. Thousands of visitors come to walk through the narrow-sided valley and traverse the famous stepping stones across the fast-flowing river, which have been a tourist attraction since the eighteenth century.

The valley sides form part of one of the UK’s largest areas of ravine woodland. The dominant tree, comprising up to 99% of the tree cover, is the ash. It is estimated that there are approximately 9 million ash trees in this limestone area of the National Park.