Scientists have discovered that new generations of wild ash trees are quickly evolving resistance to the fungus causing widespread devastation, offering a glimmer of hope for hurley makers concerned about the dieback crisis impacting the game.
Researchers stated that this discovery provides hope and underscores the importance of allowing natural woodland regeneration to facilitate this evolutionary process.
However, it remains uncertain whether the development of resistance in ash trees can outpace the devastation caused by the ash dieback fungus.
The genetic analysis also represents a significant scientific achievement. It furnishes the first compelling evidence supporting Charles Darwin’s prediction that substantial organismal changes can arise from natural selection driving numerous small alterations, rather than just one or two prominent ones.
Ash dieback is caused by the invasive Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus, which is also killing trees across Europe. Experts anticipate that it will eliminate up to 85% of older, non-resistant ash trees, resulting in millions in costs.
As the Irish Examiner reported in April, the supply of ash suitable for hurley making could be depleted within three years. While disease-resistant ash trees have been planted, it could take 30 years for them to mature into hurley-making timber, assuming they are indeed immune to the disease.
Previous studies indicated potential resistance in some ash saplings, but this new study provides detailed genetic information that could benefit breeding programs aimed at supporting the natural recovery of ash trees.
“Our new findings give us new hope,” said Professor Richard Buggs, at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Queen Mary University of London: “Elm trees have struggled to evolve to Dutch elm disease, but ash produce an abundance of seedlings upon which natural selection can act when they are still young. Through the death of millions of ash trees, a more resistant population of ash is appearing.”
Professor Richard Nichols, also at Queen Mary University, said: “We have to be cautious. We can’t say the ash is saved, but we are in a position to say it’s looking promising. We are watching evolution happen and what’s remarkable is that it’s happening so quickly, in a single generation.”
- The Guardian and Irish Examiner
