Ash trees in Torbay: why tree surveys across Devon can’t wait another winter

There’s a big ash at the bottom of the garden in Chelston. It’s been there longer than the house, and this summer the crown looked thin, with bare twigs poking out at the top. Easy to put off. But Torbay Council has been warning for years that ash dieback means more than 90% of Devon’s native ash could be lost within five to fifteen years, and a diseased tree doesn’t get safer by being ignored. That’s why tree surveys in Devon are busy right now.

The council’s line is simple: it’s your tree, it’s your responsibility. If a limb comes down on a neighbour’s car or a path in Babbacombe, the landowner answers for it. So what do you look for? Thinning in the crown, dead twigs at the tips, shoots sprouting from the trunk (epicormic growth), and dark diamond-shaped lesions on the bark. Any of those, get a qualified eye on it before the autumn gales.

A proper survey tells you what’s wrong and what to do about it. Sometimes the answer is a modest job: deadwooding, a crown reduction to take weight off a weak limb, or cutting out included bark where two stems have grown tight together and split. Sometimes the tree has to come down in sections, with the arisings chipped and the stump ground below ground level. Either way, check the paperwork first. Many trees around Cockington and Wellswood sit in conservation areas or under a TPO (Tree Preservation Order), and you’ll need the council’s say-so, or six weeks’ notice for a conservation area tree, before cutting.

Wildlife matters too. Nesting birds are protected, so work in March to August needs a careful look first, which is another reason to book the survey in autumn and get the work done over winter while the ground’s firm.

Topp Tree Care covers Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, from crown reductions and hedge work to surveys and emergency call-outs. Have a look at https://www.topptreecare.co.uk/ and ask for a survey of that tired ash before the winter weather sets in.