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Volume 16
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Article

Determining Management Strategies to Control Ash Dieback Disease Through the Study of Molecular and Environmental Interactions

by
Aneliya Raykova
1,*,
Joseph Jackson
1,
Andrea L. Harper
2,
Andy Poore
3,
Rachael Antwis
1 and
Alexander Mastin
1
1
School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4NT, UK
2
Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
3
Tollard Royal, Salisbury SP5 5PT, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2025, 16(7), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071033
Submission received: 11 May 2025 / Revised: 8 June 2025 / Accepted: 9 June 2025 / Published: 20 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Forest Pests and Diseases—2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Ash dieback (ADB) disease, caused by the devastating fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus Baral, Queloz & Hosoya, currently poses a significant threat to forest health by decreasing the ash population across the UK and Europe. In our study, we evaluated how environmental conditions, silvicultural management, and genetic factors influence the spread and severity of ash dieback. We combined these factors in a statistical model for susceptibility. Leaves were collected from twenty-two stands across a large semi-natural woodland in Southern England, encompassing a range of disease symptoms. We conducted gene expression assays of tolerance genes previously identified by Associative Transcriptomics and evaluated how stand structure, tree vigour, and individual tree characteristics affected the disease progression. Our results demonstrated that the severity of symptoms is significantly impacted by tree vitality, genetics, and tree size. We identified a diameter at breast height (DBH) group with the highest explained variation (42%) in the disease susceptibility model, with the tree vitality and genetic markers emerging as key determinants. Our findings highlight that lower susceptibility to ash dieback results from a combination of moderate to high genetic tolerance, good individual tree vitality, and appropriate stand management.
Keywords: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus; tree vitality; Fraxinus excelsior; ADB susceptibility model; Associative Transcriptomics; tree susceptibility Hymenoscyphus fraxineus; tree vitality; Fraxinus excelsior; ADB susceptibility model; Associative Transcriptomics; tree susceptibility

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MDPI and ACS Style

Raykova, A.; Jackson, J.; Harper, A.L.; Poore, A.; Antwis, R.; Mastin, A. Determining Management Strategies to Control Ash Dieback Disease Through the Study of Molecular and Environmental Interactions. Forests 2025, 16, 1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071033

AMA Style

Raykova A, Jackson J, Harper AL, Poore A, Antwis R, Mastin A. Determining Management Strategies to Control Ash Dieback Disease Through the Study of Molecular and Environmental Interactions. Forests. 2025; 16(7):1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071033

Chicago/Turabian Style

Raykova, Aneliya, Joseph Jackson, Andrea L. Harper, Andy Poore, Rachael Antwis, and Alexander Mastin. 2025. "Determining Management Strategies to Control Ash Dieback Disease Through the Study of Molecular and Environmental Interactions" Forests 16, no. 7: 1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071033

APA Style

Raykova, A., Jackson, J., Harper, A. L., Poore, A., Antwis, R., & Mastin, A. (2025). Determining Management Strategies to Control Ash Dieback Disease Through the Study of Molecular and Environmental Interactions. Forests, 16(7), 1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071033

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