Scientists create living seed bank to safeguard black ash from invasive beetle

In response to the devastation caused by the emerald ash borer, scientists from Pennsylvania State University assembled a living seed bank for the endangered black ash tree. After gathering more than 700 seed collections spanning the species' range, they employed X-ray imaging and a machine-learning model to evaluate roughly 35,000 seeds, identifying regional traits. Twenty-two thousand seeds were successfully germinated at the university's Mendel's Way Farm and transferred to three common-garden sites in Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada, in partnership with SUNY-ESF and the Canadian Forest Service.

These trials will help distinguish genetic from environmental growth factors, preserving diversity from populations that no longer exist in the wild. The initiative is intended to supply resistant germplasm for future restoration of ash wetlands once effective control methods are available. By safeguarding this genetic reservoir, the project offers a potential pathway to rebuild black ash forests across the United States and Canada.