Oregon ash trees are under threat from the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB)…

….and our friends at the USDA Forest Service & Oregon State University are leading a volunteer seed collection effort across CA, OR, WA, and BC.

Join their free virtual workshop on Thursday, August 14, 12–1 p.m. to learn how to collect and ship Oregon ash seeds for vital genetic research. Your efforts could help preserve these important native trees for generations to come!

Register and learn more here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/.../oregon-ash-seed...

Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia), an ecologically important West Coast species will likely become extinct in much of its range due to invasion of the aggressive non-native emerald ash borer (EAB). An effort is underway to find genetic resistance to EAB to ensure Oregon ash remains a component of forests in the West. However, resistance to this fatal insect pest is very rare. A volunteer community effort is needed to help out with collecting Oregon ash seeds throughout its western range.

Collected seeds will be shipped to USDA Forest Service Dorena Genetics Resource Center in Cottage Grove, OR. Researchers will store a portion of the seeds to preserve the genetic diversity of the species for possible future hybridizing, and plant out other batches of seeds to test for resistance to emerald ash borer. This project builds on an earlier seed collection effort undertaken by the Oregon Department of Forestry prior to EAB’s arrival in the Pacific Northwest. That effort collected nearly a million seeds from populations all over western Oregon! This effort aims to get even more seeds from a broader region spanning the trees range from Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Image credit: born1945 via Flickr