Urgency needed to address ash dieback near roads

The issue of ash dieback near roads poses a “serious public health risk” and must be urgently addressed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

This is according to Councillor Geraldine Donohue, independent member of Galway County Council, who said that the situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past year.

At a plenary meeting of Galway County Council in June 2022 a resolution was passed to seek a collaboration with the DAFM and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to address the issue.

The resolution seeks to provide financial assistance to local authorities, property and landowners who identified ash dieback on their trees, which could pose a safety risk especially near roads.

Despite the plenary meeting dating back almost one year, Cllr Donohue said that correspondence on the matter was only acknowledged by the DAFM today (Friday, May 12).

Ash dieback

Cllr Donohue, who comes from a health and safety background in the construction industry, said that she identified the risk posed by trees affected by ash dieback near roads over a year ago.

Through a joint collaboration farmers could be provided with financial support to have the affected trees taken down professionally, she said stressing that the issue is a “huge risk driver” around the country.

Describing that the affected trees have deteriorated rapidly, she said that a tree doesn’t just fall down, the branches snap because they are completely dead from the inside.

This is a serious public health risk for everybody, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, Cllr Donohue, who said people are flagging high-risk trees alongside roads with her, said.