North Lincolnshire trees under threat from disease

EXPERTS have raised fears trees around the region are falling victim to fatal fungal infections.

Professional gardeners have warned cherry and horse chestnut trees are succumbing to incurable and contagious diseases, which could mean 100-year-old trees would need to be felled.

Normanby Hall Country Park ranger Ian Corby inspects one of the parkâs horse chestnut trees for signs of the disease bleeding canker, as two of the parks trees have already been felled because of the disease

Sue Hoy, head gardener at Normanby Hall, said two young trees at Normanby had been cut down after becoming infected with bleeding canker and said she had spotted many more potential cases.

She said: "Trees in the area seem to be being badly affected by bleeding canker.

"It's a disease that causes the sap to run out of the tree, caused by a bacteria which gets inside the tree and kills it.

"It's taken out some young trees at Normanby, but looking around the region I've seen a lot of other horse chestnuts which look like they may be affected.

"Unfortunately, you can't really protect against it and when a tree has it, nothing can be done, except cutting them down."

Professional gardener John Cavill said cherry trees were succumbing to a separate but equally dangerous condition.

He said: "I've been treating a few cherry trees which have, sadly, caught shot hole disease, where little holes appear in their leaves.

"I've found it in trees in Barton, Scunthorpe, Caistor and Elsham. You can't get rid of it."

In 2007, a survey showed almost half of the two million horse chestnuts counted displayed the symptoms of bleeding canker.

News of the outbreak followed a national alert raised by the Forestry Commission over sudden oak death, which has not reached North Lincolnshire yet, nor is it currently in danger of doing so.