Planting Hope: The Nursery Replacing Peak District Ash |
A new £20,000 tree nursery aims to grow resilient species to replace the millions of ash trees lost to disease. |
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The Peak District landscape is changing. Ash dieback, a devastating fungal disease, is expected to kill up to 90% of the National Park’s ash trees over the next 15 years. But a new initiative is fighting back to restore the woodlands.
The Peak District National Park Foundation has launched a £20,000 fundraising appeal to establish a dedicated tree nursery near Ashford-in-the-Water. The nursery will focus on growing resilient native species, such as oak, birch, and rowan, in poly tunnels before planting them out across the park to fill the ecological void left by the dying ash.
"The landscape already looks different," said Felicity Stout, woodlands manager for the Peak District National Park Authority. "As people drive around they will see many ash trees that are dead or are dying. But I am really excited because we have the opportunity now to restore these places... to make these landscapes more diverse and to actually make them better."
The nursery, which will be irrigated by the River Wye, represents a long-term commitment to protecting the visual and ecological character of the High Peak for future generations.
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