Inspired by her uncle, Lisa Samson has communed with trees since her childhood. Tragically, a disease from mainland Europe now poses a very serious threat to the ash tree`s survival. Epitaph for the Ash explores how barren our landscape could become without the ash`s familiar branches protruding from limestone scars & chalky cliff faces. The trees` grave prognosis takes on a personal resonance when, in the course of writing this book, Lisa is diagnosed with a brain tumour. While she receives treatment, & learns to walk & talk again, Lisa finds solace once more in the natural world. She continues to research her beloved forests, which once sheltered a wealth of flora & fauna, seeking out the possibilities that modern science might provide for their survival. Taking us from the lowlands of Norfolk to northernmost reaches of the British Isles, Lisa`s book is a celebration of the deep cultural & historical significance of the ash. As Lisa contemplates her own mortality, & the trees` likely fate emerges, Epitaph for the Ash offers up a rallying cry to treasure these remarkable woodlands while we still can, before it is too late.