Genetically modified ash trees could replace the 80 million expected to die in the next 20 years from a deadly fungus, scientists have proposed.
The radical solution to the greatest woodland disaster of the last 50 years is being explored by research teams at London and Oxford universities with backing from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, science bodies and the Forestry Commission.
With no hope of saving existing native ash trees from the “dieback” disease now spreading across the country, a GM solution could develop resistance faster than traditional breeding and start to repopulate woodlands within a few years, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London.
The Guardian: With 90% of the UK’s ash trees about to be wiped out, could GM be the answer?
Comments