Ash tree disease still spreading in U.K.

LONDON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Ash trees dying in a fungal disease epidemic in Britain should not be chopped down but allowed to live, as they are still good for wildlife, experts say.

Ash dieback disease, or chalara fraxinea -- thought to have come to Britain on the wind and in tree imports from continental Europe -- has been found in 115 sites around Britain and is expected to spread, The Daily Telegraph reported.

There is no known cure but experts say infected specimens should be allowed to live as they still provide benefits for wildlife and can eventually be used for fuel.

There was no point in "chopping down" trees as Britain did during a previous Dutch Elm Disease crisis, Tim Briercliffe of the Horticultural Trades Association said.

"If a mature tree gets ash dieback there no point in chopping it down," he said. "On the Continent they just live with it and live with the fact ash trees will die and just do not sell it or grow it."

A British plant nursery forced to destroy 50,000 ash trees said it would sue the government for failing to block imports sooner.

Most European countries have no regulations on ash dieback because it is impossible to control, Briercliffe said.

Ash trees are the third-most common broadleaf trees in the British countryside after oak and birch.