Diversity, Adaptation and Use

Project summary

This three-year project builds on the success of the previous UK Ash Collecting Project and highly successful UK National Tree Seed Collecting Project, expanding and enhancing the MSB’s tree seed collections through new, highly targeted collections of seed, tissue samples and field data. Collecting is focused on:

Ash trees displaying tolerance to ash dieback disease
Areas of known high genetic diversity and local adaptation
Species and populations of greatest relevance to research and restoration use
Plugging gaps to ensure the MSB’s collections are as representative as possible of the species and genetic diversity of the UK’s native trees and shrubs.

Collecting targets are carefully scoped by project staff working in collaboration with our nationwide network of partners in the woodland conservation and forestry sectors to identify and collect from diverse, locally-native populations. Individual trees are georeferenced and tagged, with seed and tissue samples from each maternal line held separately, maximising the value of the collections to future research into intra-population variation and the identification of useful traits.

Project outputs

Conduct surveys of ash trees from which seed has already been collected and stored at the MSB, identifying which may possess tolerance of ash dieback disease.
Identify new potentially disease-tolerant ash trees, making new collections of seed, tissue samples and data.
Make new collections of seed, tissue samples and data to better capture and conserve the diversity of the UK’s native woody flora.

Project team