Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damian Carrington Environment editor

‘New hope’: ash trees rapidly evolving resistance to dieback, study reveals

A leafy ash tree stands in a field in the English countryside.
An ash tree in Suffolk, UK. Millions of the species have been killed by ash dieback since it was identified in 2012. Photograph: Graham Turner/Alamy

New generations of wild ash trees are rapidly evolving resistance to the fungus devastating their numbers, scientists have discovered.

The discovery gives hope, the researchers said, and shows that allowing the natural regeneration of woodlands is vital to enabling this evolution to take place. However, it remains too early to say if the development of resistance in the ash trees can outpace the destruction being caused by the ash dieback fungus.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.