COUNTRYSIDE lovers are being told to prepare for life without ash trees as experts predict the species is on the cusp of being wiped out.

The Woodland Trust has launched an initiative to attempt to reverse the effect of the disease chalara ash dieback, but it is feared it may be too late.

Recovery packs, which include seeds of 45 native trees, are being handed to landowners in Sussex so ash trees can be replaced if and when they die.

It is feared if action is not taken now our countryside and the wildlife that lives in it could be irreversibly damaged.

Woodland Trust director of conservation Austin Brady said: "The difficulty with these trees in the wider landscape is there is no obligation on people to replace them if they die, so it's a one-way ticket for many of these trees.

"In lots of hedgerows, field corners and roadsides, it's difficult to imagine how these trees will get replaced.

"By the time people really notice the problem, we've almost left it too late to do something about it."

The Woodland Trust has used data which maps 280 million trees across England and Wales to assess the potential impact of chalara ash dieback, which threatens to wipe out many ash trees.

There have been cases of the disease reported across Sussex in the last few months including between Brighton and Lewes, across large areas of Mid Sussex, the Eastbourne and Hailsham area and near Arundel and Littlehampton.

The Woodland Trust's mapping has revealed there is a particular risk to trees outside of wooded areas such as in hedgerows, copses, along field margins and roadsides.

Mr Brady said the loss of such trees could significantly affect how the landscape looks as well as break up the connections they provide through the countryside and threaten nearby wildlife.

Mr Brady added: "They are important not just for how the countryside looks but for wildlife too.

"A lot of these trees are quite old, so they are important habitat for everything from hole nesting birds such as owls and woodpeckers, roosting sites for bats, hosting all kinds of butterflies and insects and fungi that require mature trees."

The recovery packs are being trialled across five areas badly affected by the disease - with East Sussex being one of them.

For more details and to get your pack visit woodlandtrust.org.uk.