By Peter Schwartzstein

COBHAM, England (Reuters) - The disease blighting ash trees in Britain will be impossible to eradicate, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said on Friday but that does not necessarily mean the end for one of the country's most widespread native species.

"If we can slow its spread and minimize its impact, we will gain time to find those trees with genetic resistance to the disease and to restructure our woodlands to make them more resilient," Paterson added.

Tens of thousands of trees have already been burned in an effort to halt the spread of the airborne fungal disease Chalara fraxinea, more commonly called ash dieback.

The blight has already killed up to 90 percent of ash trees in Denmark and has now been found in the wild in several areas of Britain.

"The scientific advice is that it won't be possible to eradicate this disease now that we have discovered it in mature trees in Great Britain," Paterson confirmed.

He was speaking after chairing a meeting of the government's emergency committee COBRA, which more normally discusses national security issues.

The meeting agreed a plan of action aimed at developing resistance to the fungus in native ash trees and enlisting the help of the public to reduce its spread.

Supple and strong, Ash is the third most prevalent tree in Britain, but its contribution to the woodland canopy is such that its loss could mean the end of many animal and plant habitats.

It could also hit some of the country's most traditional woodworking industries such as fletchers (arrow-makers) and wheelwrights.

"Our greatest fear is that we'll lose our jobs," said Carol Pearce, a fletcher and archery instructor.

"Like thatching, if we lose this we lose some of our heritage," she told Reuters, speaking in her workshop in the ash-filled Surrey hills 20 miles south of London. Continued...