Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The last inventory was carried out in the period 2004 to 2006 and there is another assessment under way.It is expected that the status of the general health of the tree population of the country will not have changed that much, save to say that in the interim, Chalara fraxinea, or ash dieback as it is commonly known, has been identified on an all-county basis. That has been accepted by the Department. I am not ignoring the Senator's core point but I wish to explain the context that it is a disease we will have to manage rather than eradicate or eliminate.

Much of the ash was traditionally used on roadsides. To return to the Senator's point, while Chalara fraxineaitself can cause the disease, it does not necessarily undermine the vitality of the tree. In the ongoing assessment of Chalara fraxineaand the monitoring of ash, it might be possible to keep an eye on the ivy and to assess it. The reason roadside trees are often planted on mounds is because road traffic undermines the roots and they get caught in winds, and that is why they become so susceptible. They tend to have been planted many years ago before we had an afforestation programme. Their age profile, if one can use that term, is considerably older than many of the trees which were planted in forests per se.

Every county has trees but in Wicklow there is a higher proportion of forest estates than anywhere else and we also have a lot of roadside trees. It is an ongoing issue. My perception of it is that the ivy was causing the problem but sometimes it is the other way around. In monitoring the safety of trees on roadsides in particular we need to assess the amount of ivy and ascertain whether it is an issue. Senator Ó Domhnaill referred to pulling up the roots. Just cutting ivy without uprooting it would slow it down but it would not stop it regenerating because the nutrients that allowed it to grow in the first place are still in the surrounding area. It is a climber which will continue to climb. I thank the Senator for raising the issue. I have learned a lot by having to deal with the issue today.