Push for extra funding to combat ash dieback in Leitrim and improve road safety
Cllr James Gilmartin proposed adding extra funding to grant grants for hedge cutting to assist landowners with ash dieback.
Ash dieback is a fungal disease affecting ash trees that was first identified in County Leitrim in 2012. The disease has since vastly spread across the country and is expected to kill most ash trees over the next 20 years.
Manorhamilton municipal district has heard concerns about managing the impact of ash dieback in the county.
Cllr James Gilmartin proposed a motion asking that Council consider implementing an additional payment with the grant funding for hedge cutting to help landowners deal with ash dieback.
“The effects of ash dieback are becoming especially dangerous with regards to road safety.
“Along the roads it’s really prevalent, you see trees covered in ivy and it’s an accident waiting to happen.
“I’d like to commend the Council on the grant that they have, they’re one of the few county councils that provide this grant but the uptake is poor,” Cllr Gilmartin said.
Cllr Gilmartin suggested that implementing a focused, yearly approach to managing trees would help minimise the risks associated with trees falling onto the roads.
The motion was seconded by Cllr Farrell.
A reply from the Roads department explained that the Hedge Cutting Grant Scheme was reviewed earlier this year.
A new policy offers an extra €50 per kilometre to encourage the cutting of dangerous overhanging trees along the public roads, depending on certain conditions.
The reply also stated that the scheme has been widely circulated to the public.