We're facing tree disease crisis, says charity

3 December 2025

Alice Cunningham

The Wildlife Trust in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire said it was responding to a "woodland crisis"

Wildlife Trust BCN A tree branch that has collapsed and dropped toward the floor behind a gate. The leaves on the branch have died and gone brown. The tree is surrounded by a green bush. — The Wildlife Trust in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire said it was responding to a "woodland crisis"

A wildlife charity said it was facing a "woodland crisis" as trees were increasingly suffering with disease.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire shared the result of its largest survey of woodland nature reserves.

Of almost 6,000 trees surveyed, it found that 29% had diseases while 82% of ash trees, the worst affected species, were suffering from ash dieback fungal disease.

Josh Hellon, monitoring and research manager at the trust, said the results were "very worrying".

The results of ash dieback disease on a tree's roots were captured in Hayley Wood Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire

Wildlife Trust BCN A collapsed tree where its roots can be seen. The roots have been destroyed and ruined by disease. — The results of ash dieback disease on a tree's roots were captured in Hayley Wood Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire

The trust's Woodland Condition Monitoring Survey began in 2021 and as of this year has covered 21 different sites.

Teams identify all the trees within a sample area and record everything health related from the girth to the wildflowers on the woodland floor around the tree.

"This is the biggest assessment of the health of the woodlands in our patch we've ever undertaken, and the results are very worrying," Mr Hellon explained.

"Our conservation teams are getting very used to managing the impacts of ash dieback and other tree diseases, and these results show the stark numbers we're dealing with.

"Ash dieback is having the biggest impact, with 100% of surveyed ash trees infected in some woodlands."

An oak tree in Fulbourn Fen reserve in Cambridgeshire suffered a summer branch drop

Wildlife Trust BCN A tree branch within a wooded area that has broken off and dropped toward the floor. The leaves on the branch have died and gone brown. Other green trees and vegetation surrounds the branch. — An oak tree in Fulbourn Fen reserve in Cambridgeshire suffered a summer branch drop

Ash dieback was first discovered in the UK in 2012 and has continued to spread over the past 13 years.

According to the Wildlife Trust it has already caused "widespread damage" in Europe and has led to thousands of tree deaths in the UK.

Mr Hellon said teams were trialling new techniques to manage affected sites and change the way they work.

This included spraying deer repellent on saplings, removing affected trees, tackling waterlogging and trampling of wild flowers, and comparing different management options for ash dieback.

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