In the next few weeks – unless we have a very cold spring like last year – the buds should start appearing on our trees. The sad fact is that both the first to spring into new life – the horse chestnut – and one of the last – the ash – are both threatened by imported fungus diseases.

This is a dismal prospect, because such diseases are already well established in some parts of the country although scientists are studying small groups of various species which are showing signs of resistance.

They hope to find out what makes them impervious – and if they can isolate this elusive ingredient, can it be turned into a “magic bullet” to slow down or even stop the spread?

In the meantime, the Country Landowner’ Association is urging farmers and estate managers to do what they can to slow down the damage, plant new native species to replace those which we will lose, and are urging the Government to tighten controls on imported trees and shrubs.

“The picture is getting worse,” says the CLA’s woodland adviser Mike Seville. “With very little sign of relief, let alone a cure, the need to give woodlands the strength to recover and regenerate has become a priority.”

Reducing deer and grey squirrel numbers would help, he says, and we should re-introduce native species like lime and aspen which are no longer present in our woodlands in large numbers.

For immediate action, the Government should introduce tighter controls on imports, many of which are sold as saplings in garden centres.

Now the latter is simple common sense but a nation with porous borders is unlikely to be able to inspect tens of thousands of shrubs.

So although this grieves me to say it, it is time for the European Union to enact a new (and for once useful) law.

All companies in the timber/tree export trade should be forced to buy a licence to be awarded only when all its exports have been disinfected, properly inspected and certified as being free of disease.

This would take time to set-up at the EU’s snail-pace work rate but that would be good: it would slow up the trade and give the UK some breathing space to re-plant our woods and, fingers crossed, for the scientists to come up with a cure.

Sadly, given our present relations with the EU, I won’t be holding my breath.