In the 1970s, we lost Dutch Elms from our landscape, but 50 years on it flourishes in our hedges so long as they are kept trimmed – older growth succumbs to dieback (Folium Retro Mori – literally Leaf Back Die) and death.
This year was a late cool cloudy and wet spring and the ash trees looked very bare untill summer. The summer has been the coolest and cloudiest in 40 years of recording and ash dieback can be seen.
Similarly in the last few weeks, some local sycamores have had twig dieback while other species of trees have been losing their leaves earlier this year due to stress and fungal infection.
Treflach is fortunate that it has stewards/farmers who have been planting saplings for years. Treflach Farm has created new plantations containing multiple species whereas Treflach Hall has tended to plant individual parkland trees to create landmarks of the future. Adjacent Woodhill Park Estate has done the same but there seems to be very few trees in the 40-100 year age group in the vicinity or even further afield.