WORK to fell trees infected by a deadly fungal disease on council-owned land in Wrexham could cost more than £600,000, councillors have been told.

Wrexham Council is looking to take action against the impact of ash dieback, which is lethal to European ash trees.

Since first being discovered in the county borough in the summer of 2017, it is estimated that at least three quarters of the area’s 15,000 ash trees have been infected.

It has led to concerns over the risk posed to public safety by falling trees, with the minimum estimated cost of felling and replacing them standing at £620,000.

The figure only covers council-owned land and does not include that of removing privately owned trees or the cost of officers’ time.

In a report, chief officer for environment Darren Williams said the impact of the disease was likely to be felt over the next five years.

In a report, he said: “Ash dieback is a UK wide problem and the worst case scenario suggests that up to 90 per cent of ash trees are expected to die from it.

“It has the potential to be a massive problem for landowners who have ash trees on their land as the trees near people, property, power lines and roads, will need to be dealt with before they become dangerous.

“Ash trees make up approximately five per cent of the tree cover in urban areas of the county borough which equates to approximately fifteen thousand trees.

“Within the rural areas the percentage is estimated to be higher, with many trees located in highway verges, woodland edges and hedgerows.

“Timescales on speed of decline vary; mortality has been observed in as little as two growing seasons.

“As an ash tree declines, and where affected by secondary pathogens, it appears to more rapidly lose timber strength and integrity and is prone to structural failure, making the management and felling of infected trees hazardous and costly.”

Mr Williams said the council should prioritise those trees in the highest risk locations, to reduce the danger to the general public from structural failure.

The report shows it is likely a “significant amount” of officer time will be required in dealing with owners of trees on private land where their trees pose a danger to the highway or public safety.

Although he said the cost of tackling the issue was difficult to calculate, he said it would require a large investment.

Mr Williams also warned that the council does not currently have enough staff to deal with the problem, which has led it to seek support from the Welsh Government.

He said: “Due to the rapid decline and high mortality rate of infected trees, most of the cost will be realised within the next five years.

“These costs do not include officer time, nor the costs to deal with privately owned trees on unregistered land or where owners are unable to carry out works.

“The neighbouring authority of Flintshire estimates the impact on officer time to deal with issues associated with ash dieback and additional administrative costs to be in the region of £190,000.

“The potential impact of the disease and the significant additional investment required to deal with it, have been raised nationally with Welsh Government.”

He added: “The tree officer is in the process of drafting an ash dieback action plan. Inspection of A and B roads has been contracted out to an external provider, however Covid 19 has impacted on progress.

“Current staffing levels within environment and technical department are not sustainable to cope with the additional workload generated of dealing with ash dieback and additional resources will be required for the council to satisfactorily meet its statutory duties.”