Ash dieback: how it is regulated across the United Kingdom

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Ash dieback is a fungal disease of ash trees. The official pages in the United Kingdom cover felling, safety and imports, and Northern Ireland's page says it is no longer a regulated pest. The guide to emerald ash borer by country covers the beetle that the import rules on ash wood are aimed at.

Status by country

England

The Forestry Commission's guidance on managing ash dieback in England says felling diseased ash requires a felling licence unless the trees are dead or pose a real and immediate danger, and that restrictions such as tree preservation orders must also be respected. It adds that where a felling licence is granted, the area where trees were removed has to be restocked. For trees near roads, railways, buildings and other publicly accessible land it says the owner of the land where a tree stands is legally responsible for the health and safety of people who could be affected, and that a risk assessment should be carried out. It points to UK Forest Industry Safety Accord guidance on felling diseased ash. The page was first published June 10, 2021.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scottish Forestry says on its ash dieback page that the disease is widely distributed throughout Scotland and caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It says import restrictions apply to ash originating in some parts of Europe and outside Europe, and that management efforts focus on reducing safety risks from diseased trees, letting tolerant trees reproduce naturally, and finding tolerant trees.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs says on its ash dieback page that the disease is no longer a regulated pest, that it is present and widespread across Northern Ireland, and that Plant Health no longer surveys for it or issues legal notices for removal of infected trees. The page advises landowners to assess tree health, remove hazardous trees and keep tolerant ones.

The United Kingdom as a whole

Forest Research says on its ash dieback page that national measures against the disease were introduced in 2012, requiring imports of ash trees to come from pest-free areas. It says the legal basis for those national measures has not applied since January 13, 2020, and that, since the disease is well established and present in every county, there is no case for keeping them. The page says the main biosecurity concern is new strains, so imports of ash plants from non-EU countries remain prohibited. It also says imports of ash wood and wood products, including firewood, are regulated to protect against emerald ash borer.

The same page says an owner of infected ash is not legally required to act unless the country forestry or plant health authority serves a Statutory Plant Health Notice, which it calls unlikely. It advises a general presumption against felling living ash, with exceptions for public safety and timber production. The page text carries dates from 2012 to 2020, so read it with the modified date in the table.

Related reading

For tree identification and the wider list of pests see tree pests and diseases, and for wood movement rules see moving wood and firewood. The rules on felling licences and tree protection are in tree protection laws.

Sources

• Forestry Commission, managing ash dieback in England, GOV.UK, read October 8, 2026
• Scottish Forestry, ash dieback page, read October 8, 2026
• Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, ash dieback page, read October 8, 2026
• Forest Research, ash dieback page, read October 8, 2026