Ash dieback is a fungal disease that causes ash trees to lose leaves from their canopy. It is found throughout large swaths of Europe; after being discovered in Poland back in 1992, it was later found in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Austria, as well as many other countries. It was first documented in the UK in 2012, which led the government to impose a ban on European ash imports. The Causal OrganismThe disease, which is caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxinea, does not always kill the trees it infects, but most mature trees eventually succumb after unsuccessfully battling the fungus for several years. It is particularly destructive to immature trees, which have fewer resources to mobilize and leaves to spare in the conflict. It typically first appears as a series of necrotic lesions, which persist for several years. Eventually, these lesions can encroach beneath the bark, where they can begin affecting the xylem (wood) of the trees.
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