UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Arbor Day, celebrated on April 28 this year, is a holiday dedicated to the planting, upkeep and appreciation of trees. The holiday originated in 1872 in Nebraska City, when the citizens banded together to change their shadeless landscape and planted more than a million trees across the state.
Trees play an integral part in ecosystem health and the sequestration of carbon. Even as sources of food, life and homes for many people and organisms, deforestation continues to threaten tree populations. Arbor Day is a time when communities can come together to preserve and celebrate this resource. At Penn State, there are multiple research groups dedicated to researching trees for the purpose of conservation and learning about how trees interact with their ecosystems.
One such group within the Schatz Center for Tree Molecular Genetics at Penn State is focused on the preservation of the black ash tree from the emerald ash borer (EAB). This insect is an invasive species of beetle in the United States that is dangerous to ash trees all over North America. Postdoctoral researcher Melissa Lehrer and doctoral student Kyra LoPiccolo are both working on projects surrounding the conservation of ash trees and the effects of the EAB here at Penn State.
“A large part of what we are hoping to do is establish an ex-situ ['away from the field'] collection of black ash seeds across its [the EAB's] range,” said Lehrer, “That is important for a couple of reasons. One, because we are collecting seeds from trees that may not exist in the near future, allowing us to conserve the genetic diversity of trees that might otherwise become lost. We can also use this seed collection to look at the impact of changing environments from climate change and the EAB on reproductive-based phenotypes. Finally, we can use these seeds to establish common gardens where we can grow this diverse population of black ash across environments so that we can study adaptation and ultimately preserve genetic diversity on a larger scale.”