We’ve been playing a key role in helping secure the future of the ash tree in this country, by supporting the nationally recognised Living Ash Project with sample collection.
Future Trees Trust has been working with land managers to collect samples of ash trees that show resistance to ash dieback. As part of phase two of the Living Ash Project, the Trust’s team members have been travelling the country to collect these samples to grow in their national archives.
In 2014, the Living Ash Project partnership began seeking ash trees with high tolerance to ash dieback for breeding work, field trials and genetic research. The project is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and involves many organisations including Forest Research, Future Trees Trust, Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Fera and Natural England.
During the first phase of the project, just over 1,000 tolerant ash trees were sampled and planted within the Hampshire public forest estate, to start their first national archive. After further trials and research were complete, it was time for phase two. This meant the team were back on the lookout for trees showing signs of a strong tolerance to ash dieback. To help the team with the search, site managers across the country were asked to keep track of any ash trees on their woodland sites, where samples could be collected. To be confident that the ash trees chosen for testing were exposed to the disease, the Trust’s team looked for ash trees within woodland sites heavily dominated by infected ash. A list of tolerant ash trees was compiled after five years of searching, ready for sampling earlier this year.
During the second sample selection across the country, the Trust searched the ash dominant and highly infected woodlands of the Derbyshire Dales. When the project reached out to site managers in this area including those involved in the LIFE in the Ravines partnership, they were eager to help. This led to samples being collected across the Derbyshire Dales. This included sites in the Peak District Dales, owned by the National Trust and Chatsworth Estate.
Leon Hayward, Lead Ranger for National Trust in the White Peak, and LIFE in the Ravines partner, said:
Ash dieback has severely impacted many of the woodlands in our care, including the much-loved woods of Dovedale National Nature Reserve. For years, we have been working to create healthier woodlands of the future in a variety of different ways. As part of that, it’s great to help the Living Ash Project select and collect samples, so we can monitor potentially tolerant ash trees.
Aligned with the Living Ash Project’s aim to safeguard ash, our project is restoring ravine woodlands in the Peak District Dales Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is dominated by infected ash trees. Although the project is removing some of the infected ash, to replace it with a diverse mix of healthy tree species, the team is also keeping track of any trees showing signs of tolerance to ash dieback, with an aim to protect a population of ash trees in the Dales. So helping the Living Ash Project was a perfect opportunity to collaborate and share resources. A total of nine trees were identified on the heavily affected SAC, as they showed strong resistance to the disease. Samples from these trees were collected by Future Trees Trust, with support from our site team.
John Everitt, Forestry Manager at Chatsworth Estate and LIFE in the Ravines partner, said:
Both in the SAC and at other Derbyshire sites, we’ve been tracking the damage caused by ash dieback. As a follower of the Living Ash Project, we were more than happy to help Future Trees Trust collect samples from our sites. We’re excited to hear more about the project’s next steps and welcome the opportunity to offer further support.
Samples collected across the country, will be grafted on up to 5,000 trees to be planted at both the Hampshire archive and the newly created site in Scotland. As a result of monitoring and testing their planted trees, they hope to create a more sustainable ash population in the UK, helping woodland managers preserve their sites.
Dr Jo Clark, Head of Research at Future Trees Trust said:
In order to find the right trees and collect samples for our breeding program, we’ve worked with site managers from many different organisations. Collaboration with others including LIFE in the Ravines has been brilliant, and shows how important it is to share knowledge and resources between projects.
Neil Ford, Wooded Habitats Specialist at Natural England, Said:
Ash Dieback is having a devastating impact across the country and on the ash dominated ancient woodlands of the Peak District Dales. The LIFE in the Ravines Project Partnership has been working hard to secure the future of these sensitive habitats through a systematic approach to replacing the thinning ash canopy with native trees species that once thrived in these special places.
Working together with the Living Ash Project, they’ve been able to use their extensive site knowledge to support Future Trees Trust collect samples from trees less susceptible to the disease. This is a fantastic collaboration that means one day we will be able to reintroduce disease resistant ash back into the iconic limestone dales of the Peak District.
With so many projects hoping to protect and conserve ash trees for the future, it’s important we all work together and support each other through resource and knowledge sharing, to give us all the best chance of success. This will help ensure that ash trees remain a part of our environment for years to come, securing their survival in an uncertain future.
To find out more about the Living Ash Project visit: Home – futuretrees.org or Living Ash Project – Living Ash Project