Sussex is losing its ash. We'll tell you honestly what your tree needs — monitoring, reduction, or safe removal — and handle every step when it has to come down.
Hymenoscyphus fraxineus
Ash dieback has reached almost every woodland, hedgerow and garden boundary in Sussex. Some trees can be monitored for years; some need work now. The difference is a proper assessment.
Serving Brighton, Hove, Ringmer, Lewes, Seaford, Shoreham, Henfield, Worthing and all surrounding BN postcodes.
01 — What it is
Ash dieback is a fungal disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) that arrived in the UK in 2012 and has since spread to virtually every corner of Sussex. It kills leaves first, then branches, then — in most infected trees — the tree itself, often with secondary infections taking hold at the base.
The current forecast is stark: 80–90% of the UK's native ash is expected to be lost. We see it every week, on every kind of site, and we'll always give you a straight answer on whether an ash is worth keeping, reducing, or removing.
02 — Why it's a safety job
Dieback makes ash timber brittle and unpredictable. Branches shed without wind; stems that look sound can be decayed at the base. Beyond a certain stage of decline, putting a climber in the crown is not a risk worth taking.
That's why our approach follows the work-at-height hierarchy of risk: from the ground where we can, platform or rigged dismantle where we can't. Catching the disease early keeps more options — and lower costs — on the table.
Signs to watch for
A shortlist of the scenarios that bring customers to this service — if any of them look familiar, it's probably time for a conversation.
The upper crown looks sparse, with bare fingers of dead wood reaching above the leaf line. Classic early-to-mid dieback — worth assessing now, while options are still open.
Leaves blackening at the tips and wilting from mid-summer, often dropping early. One of the first visible signs of infection.
Dark, elongated diamond-shaped lesions on the bark, typically where a side shoot meets the stem. A strong indicator the fungus is established.
Clusters of new shoots sprouting from the trunk or low branches — the tree's stress response as its upper crown fails.
Lesions, staining or honey fungus brackets at the stem base. Late-stage decline — these trees can be structurally compromised and need assessing promptly.
A declining ash over a highway, footpath, garden or neighbouring property is a liability question as much as a tree question. We'll assess it and document the condition.
What to expect
From the first phone call to the last leaf cleared — the order of operations on a typical Branchwalkers job.
We assess the crown, stem and base, grade the extent of dieback, and factor in what's underneath it — targets, access, occupancy. Photos and notes documented.
Not every infected ash needs felling. Early-stage trees can be monitored on a cycle; some warrant reduction to manage risk; heavily declined trees need removing. We tell you which yours is, and why.
TPO or Conservation Area? Exemptions exist for dead and dangerous trees, and felling licences have thresholds — we confirm what applies to your tree and handle the council correspondence ourselves.
Method follows the risk assessment: straight fell where there's room, MEWP or rigged dismantle where there isn't. Brittle timber is treated with the respect it demands — no climbing a crown that can't be trusted.
Arisings chipped and removed, stump ground out if you want it gone, and honest advice on what to replant — species that will stand where the ash stood for the next century.
In Sussex specifically
Ash is one of the most common trees in Sussex — hedgerows, field boundaries, garden edges, road verges — which is why dieback now drives more of our call-outs than any other single cause. East and West Sussex councils and National Highways are removing declining ash along roads at scale, and private owners carry the same duty of care for trees over boundaries, footpaths and neighbouring gardens. The pattern we see locally: infection shows first in younger hedgerow ash, mature specimens hold on longer but fail harder, and basal decay often runs ahead of what the crown suggests. Our advice is consistent — get declining ash assessed early, document the condition, and act before the tree chooses the timing for you. Where felling is the answer we'll talk replanting: oak, field maple, hornbeam, small-leaved lime and wild service all stand well on Sussex ground.
Frequently asked
Straight answers to the questions that come up most often on site visits. Not here? Pick up the phone — we're happy to get into the detail.
The signs — blackened leaves, diamond bark lesions, a thinning crown, epicormic shoots — are distinctive in combination, but individual symptoms overlap with drought stress and other conditions. We confirm it on inspection; the assessment is part of any quote visit.
There's no cure, but not every infected tree is a lost cause. A minority of ash show genetic tolerance, and early-stage trees away from targets can often be monitored for years rather than felled. Where the tree matters to you, monitoring on a sensible cycle is a legitimate strategy — we'll tell you honestly if yours is a candidate.
Because dieback makes the timber brittle. Anchor points that would hold in a healthy ash can snap without warning in an infected one, and basal decay can compromise the whole stem. Past a certain stage of decline the safe methods are a platform or a rigged, ground-controlled dismantle — it's the same hierarchy-of-risk thinking we apply to every job, applied to a tree that punishes shortcuts.
Sometimes. TPOs and Conservation Areas still apply to infected trees, though exemptions exist for dead and genuinely dangerous ones — and felling licence thresholds can apply to larger volumes. Getting this wrong is expensive, so we confirm what applies to your specific tree and handle the paperwork as standard.
The tree owner carries the duty of care — if a known-declining ash sheds a limb onto a road, footpath or neighbour's property, 'I didn't know' is a weak defence once symptoms were visible. An assessment documents the condition and your response to it, which is exactly what you want on file.
It varies more than standard felling because the condition dictates the method — a straight fell in a paddock and a rigged dismantle over a conservatory are very different days. Quotes are free, itemised, and come with the assessment included; there's no charge for us telling you a tree only needs monitoring.
Depends on the stage and what's underneath. A declining ash over a road, drive or play area should be assessed promptly; a hedgerow tree away from any target can usually wait for a planned visit. If limbs are already shedding, treat it as an emergency call-out and we'll prioritise accordingly.
Something with a future. Oak, field maple, hornbeam, small-leaved lime and wild service all suit Sussex ground and won't be following ash into the same trouble. We'll match the species to the spot — soil, space, and what you want from the tree — as part of the job.
Adjacent services
When a tree has to come down — safe, rigged dismantling and full stump grinding.
Less drastic shaping when you want the tree to stay, just smaller or lighter.
Full council paperwork handled — surveys, applications, felling licences. Stress-free.
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Free assessment with every site visit. We'll grade the tree's condition, talk you through the options, and quote transparently — including telling you when the right answer is to wait.
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