Written question asked by Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 January 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 January 2018. It was answered by Baroness Coffey (Conservative) on Thursday, 25 January 2018 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Trees: Conservation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what studies his Department is conducting into the prospects for survival of the ash tree.

Answer

Defra’s programme of research on ash dieback has broadly focused on three areas:

Impacts: Research into predicting the economic, social and environmental impacts of ash dieback in woodlands and the wider environment.

Mitigation: We are conducting the world’s largest screening trials to identify disease tolerant trees, which raises the possibility of using selective breeding to develop strains of tolerant trees. We have also commissioned research to develop guidance for local authorities and landowners to mitigate the impacts of the disease
Better understanding of the disease: We have commissioned research to enhance our understanding of the disease including work on spread and disease progression.

Secondary information