The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), a partner in OptFORESTS, has released a short animated video on ash dieback, the fungal disease that has devastated ash trees across Europe. Titled Askeskuddsyken – kommer vi til å miste asken? (Ash dieback – are we going to lose the ash?), it explains the threat the disease poses and what can be done about it.

According to the video, the fungus arrived from Asia in the early 1990s and has since affected almost all ash trees in Europe. Its spores are carried by the wind over long distances, and in some forests where the disease has been present for many years, the ash has disappeared completely. The loss goes beyond the tree itself: many insects, fungi, lichens and mosses depend on ash, and the species is also part of Norway’s cultural heritage.

Yet the video also points to reasons for hope. Ash trees are affected to different degrees, and research shows that part of this variation in resistance is genetic. The video argues that relying on natural selection alone is risky, and highlights two ways to help: protecting the healthy ash trees still growing in forests, and breeding. In Norway, NIBIO has established several trials where seeds from healthy trees are grown in areas with high infection pressure, and the most resistant trees are crossed to produce new generations that could be used, for example, in restoration.

The video was produced as part of the project Genetic Resources in Ash, with funding from the Norwegian Agriculture Agency. The script was written by NIBIO researchers Mari Mette Tollefsrud and Fride Høistad Schei, together with the animation studio Pamadillo.