Backcross: Will Ash be the Blueprint for Tree Restoration?

The number one way you can stop an insect invasion or pathogen from spreading is by stopping it from ever starting. Who says geneticists and ecologists can’t act in the same way—taking action before a tree is ever in danger?

With ash, proactive and collaborative breeding is already taking place, and it could be a roadmap for the future of combating tree species restorations.

Related Research:

• Green Ash Trees That Survive Beetle Infestation Pass on Their Resistance Through Propagation and Planting (NRS)
• The Key to Rescuing Green Ash from Emerald Ash Borer is in the Genes (NRS)
• “Saving Green Ash” (2017)
• “Restoring Green Ash: Breeding for Resistance to the Emerald Ash Borer” (2020)
• “Convergent molecular evolution among ash species resistant to the emerald ash borer” (2020)
• Saving Oregon Ash (2022) [Oregon Dept. of Forestry]

Scientists:

• Jennifer Koch, Research Biologist, Northern Research Station, Delaware, Ohio
• Kathleen Knight, Research Ecologist, Northern Research Station, Delaware, Ohio
• Richard Sniezko, Center Geneticist, Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Cottage Grove, Oregon

Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-season-2-backcross-episode-5-will-ash-be-blueprint-tree

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: jonathan.yales@usda.gov