Ash dieback in the North West

Ash dieback is affecting trees on the land we manage. We're taking action to slow its spread and make sure trees along our strategic road network remain safe.

Start date November 2024

End date Spring 2025

Cost TBC

We're committed to protecting the natural environment that surrounds our roads. We're responsible for 30,000 hectares of land and we want to foster a rich biodiversity across our soft estate.

Trees are a very important part of this, whether we plant them ourselves or they're growing naturally on our land.

We manage trees on our land through their whole lifecycle, to control safety risk and maximise their environmental value. This is why our tree specialists carry out regular inspections for safety and general woodland management.

We also have a legal obligation to ensure our strategic road network remains safe to road users and the trees in our care do not pose a hazard to adjacent property.

Regrettably, surveys by our specialists have found many ash trees are suffering from ash dieback disease. A large proportion are now dead or dying and pose a potential safety risk, leaving us with no alternative other than to make them safe or remove them.

Ash dieback is a highly destructive fungal disease of ash trees. It causes leaf loss, dead branches and canopy decline in infected trees.

What are we doing to address ash dieback?

We will be spending more than £2 million over the next six months to manage ash dieback disease on our woodland estate in the North West.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will remove or make safe ash trees identified for urgent action. Care of our woodland is an ongoing process and further works will be needed in winter to address trees which are currently infected but assessed as requiring less urgent action.

While we're working in the area, we'll also carry out routine woodland management works to improve the condition of the woodland plots and encourage diversity and fresh growth in the coming years. Where appropriate we will replant suitable native trees or shrubs such as hazel and hawthorn. Some areas will be left to regenerate naturally. The waste timber and most of the woodchip will be sent for processing by local timber merchants.

Project information

We'll be carrying out tree management works at 10 locations along the A627(M), between Chadderton and Rochdale this winter. This includes junction 20 of the M62, southbound from A664 and Slattocks Interchange.

To maintain safety for the travelling public and our staff, we'll need to work under temporary overnight carriageway closures. The closures will be phased from junction to junction.

To reduce disruption, we'll be carrying out most of our work overnight, between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

We’ll stop work over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, from 23 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.

These works may generate noise and some minor delays to journeys, and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.

We'll be carrying out tree management works at 14 locations along the M55 this winter, from junction 1 to junction 4.

For safety, single lane and slip road closures will be in place. This includes areas near Tabley Lane Bridge, Church Road Bridge and Blue Moor Bridge. Our work in these locations is scheduled to be complete by spring 2025.

To reduce disruption, we'll work mostly overnight between 8pm and 6am, when traffic levels are lower.

We'll be carrying out tree management works at 14 locations along the M6, between junction 32 on the Preston Bypass to junction 36 at Crooklands Interchange:

Holme – junction 35 to 36, both directions
Burton Services - junction 35 to 36, southbound
Carnforth - junction 35 to 36, southbound
Blea Tarn Road - junction 34 to 35, southbound
Whams Lane - junction 32 to 33, southbound
Wyresdale - junction 32 to 33, southbound
Woodacre - junction 32 to 33, southbound
Turners Farm - junction 32 to 33, both directions
Gubberford Lane - junction 32 to 33, northbound
Scorton - junction 32 to 33, northbound
Nether Kellet - junction33 to 34, northbound
Cinderbarrow Lane, junction 35 to 36, northbound

Our essential work will take place under hard shoulder closures and is scheduled to be complete by spring 2025.

We aim to complete most of our work at night, when traffic volumes are at their lowest. The M6 will remain open throughout, however journeys may be delayed by temporary closures of the hard shoulder.

Every effort will be made to ensure the works are done safely and disruption is kept to a minimum. However, these works may generate some minor delays to journeys, and we would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.