Romiley Gazette | August 2025
The future of ash trees along Padden Brook, where campaigners say a “wildlife massacre” was facilitated by local Liberal Democrat councillors, may not be as bleak as once feared.
Despite widespread felling and heavy losses from ash dieback disease in recent years, new scientific research suggests that some ash trees which survive initial infection could ultimately endure – and even pass on valuable resistance genes to the next generation.
A landmark study published this summer in Science revealed that young ash saplings showing tolerance to dieback are genetically more resistant than older trees. Crucially, the healthiest survivors are contributing more seed and pollen, giving them an outsized role in regenerating future ash populations.
Environmental observers argue that this offers a faint silver lining for the battered landscape at Padden Brook. “If any of the ash trees left standing are showing signs of resilience, they could become the nucleus of recovery,” said one conservation volunteer.
Government guidance also warns against unnecessary felling of diseased ash, advising that infected trees should only be removed where there is a direct risk to public safety. Allowing survivors to stand increases the chance that local woods retain a reservoir of natural resistance.
Critics of the clearance at Padden Brook say the operation destroyed valuable habitat and needlessly removed trees that might have persisted.
What is clear is that surviving ash at the site now carry more importance than ever. If left to grow, they may form part of a slow but vital process of natural selection – one that could, over decades, see Romiley’s woods enriched again with resilient ash.
For local residents dismayed by the sudden loss of trees and wildlife, the message from experts is cautious but not without hope: nature, given time and space, may yet find a way back.
