Lord Gardiner (Minister for Rural
Affairs and Biosecurity, DEFRA).“Woodland owners, forest managers and
policy-makers must know that there is a
choice of planting stock and be encouraged
to plant the best material – perhaps through
better grants – knowing that what they
plant has the resilience to make it through a
complete rotation.”
Partners are already working together
to achieve research goals. ‘Plus trees’
are being selected for a wider range
of species and new DNA techniques
developed to speed up the whole
breeding process. An online
database of FTT and Forest Research
tree breeding work is in the
works. The NTIS (National
Tree Improvement
Strategy) website will be
available soon.A PLANTING
ARMY
Tree Champion Sir
William Worsley
concluded: “Wordsbirches, cherry, ash and 15 BSOs (breeding
seed orchards, a form of progeny trial
combining a ‘testing’ phase with the ‘seed
production’ phase) for oak, sycamore and
silver birch.
NATIONAL TREE IMPROVEMENT
STRATEGY
Only two years old, the National
Tree Improvement Strategy has 21
member organisations, from tree
breeders, academics and research
purchasers, to foresters, seed
merchants, nursery managers
and sawmillers (who want
trees bred that are fit for
purpose).
Chair Steve Lee said:
“Tree breeding and
improvement is the
best way to retain
and enhance our
woodlands, in terms
of productivity,
resilience (to biotic
and climatic threats),
genetic diversity and site
adaptation.
of wisdom have been spoken. Thank you
to Kew for hosting and for their work and
that of the co-authors and supporters in
developing this pioneering Strategy for UK
Forest Genetic Resources.
“Lord Gardiner mentioned our aspirations.
I am impressed with the work I have seen
around plant imports. More must be done
right across the rural sector on the issue
of biosecurity and we must manage it
realistically.
“I was fascinated – terrified by the slide
showing the movement of birch pollen
across Europe on the wind. It is how ADB
got here. The Ash Research Strategy is
ground-breaking work, thank you to all those
involved.
“To finish, I like Lord Gardiner’s planting
army. Partnerships working together –
government, the FC, the private sector and
the third sector – all planting trees with
improved provenance to grow trees of
economic value made into products which
lock up carbon. Great work. Please carry
on.”Future Trees Trust: http://www.futuretrees.org/
RBG Kew Wakehurst: https://www.kew.org/
wakehurst