The second phase of the Living Ash Project concluded in 2024, with planting completed between January and February 2025. Resistant material is now safeguarded across two archive sites: one in Hampshire, home to the original ash archive established in 2019, and a second site in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
The decision to establish a second archive reflects the importance of protecting this valuable genetic resource for the long term. As well as reducing the risks associated with holding material at a single location, the Scottish archive provides additional security against emerging threats, including the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that has caused extensive damage to ash populations in North America and continues to move westwards across Europe.
The archives represent thousands of grafted trees selected from parent trees showing high levels of tolerance to ash dieback. By preserving this material, Future Trees Trust is helping ensure that future generations of foresters, landowners and researchers have access to improved ash genetic resources that may contribute to the species’ recovery and long-term resilience.
What makes this milestone particularly significant is that it was achieved during one of the most challenging establishment years in recent memory. Following one of the wettest eighteen-month periods on record, spring 2025 brought exceptionally dry conditions. As temperatures rose and rainfall failed to arrive, the newly planted archives required extensive aftercare to ensure their survival.
Watering the Ash trees in 2025
The Trust worked alongside partners including Forestry England, DEFRA, National Trust and local contractors to protect the newly planted trees through the drought. While some watering was required in Scotland, conditions at the Hampshire archive demanded sustained intervention throughout the summer.
The effort proved worthwhile. By the end of the season, fewer than twenty trees had been lost from almost 3,000 newly planted trees at the Hampshire archive, helping to secure years of research and investment.
The establishment of the archives is not the end of the Living Ash Project story. The focus now shifts to monitoring, maintenance and the long-term evaluation of resistant material. Over time, the archives will provide an invaluable resource for understanding the durability of ash dieback tolerance and for supporting future breeding work aimed at restoring ash as a component of Britain’s landscapes. This aligns with Future Trees Trust’s wider mission to improve the resilience, productivity and diversity of the UK’s broadleaved tree populations through long-term tree improvement programmes.
Ash has shaped Britain’s woodlands, landscapes and cultural heritage for centuries. While the challenges posed by ash dieback remain significant, the work carried out through the Living Ash Project demonstrates that there is hope for the future. The establishment of two National Archives of Resistant Material ensures that some of the best available genetic resources are now protected for future generations and provides a strong foundation for the next chapter of ash recovery in the UK.
