Pathways to Sustain Ash: Insights from the Guild’s Ash Seed Collection Series

Written by Michelle Giles and Rachel Swanwick

This spring, the Sustaining Ash Partners Network (SAP-Ne) hosted a three-part event series, “Pathways to Sustain Ash,” to highlight the importance of seed collection in ash stewardship. SAP-Ne promotes ash protection across the Northeast and is managed by the Forest Stewards Guild’s Northeast program manager, Rachel Swanwick. 

The two webinars and accompanying field tour, challenged the prevalent narrative that ash preservation is a lost cause due to the invasion of the emerald ash borer (EAB). Hundreds attended the series, including conservation leaders, concerned citizens, and partners from Tribal Nations, government agencies, universities, and NGOs.   

Why Preserve Ash Seed?   

In the kick-off webinar, “Why Preserve Ash Seed,”  Dr. Nate Siegert from the USDA Forest Service shared updates on ash and EAB infestations. He noted that EAB is “the most destructive insect to invade North America,” stressing that management actions like seed collection can serve as a critical lifeboat to protect the future of ash.   

For Tribal Nations like the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, preserving ash seeds is a vital cultural practice. Jessica Raspitha, the Tribe’s Land Resources Program Manager, discussed their efforts to ensure future generations can access brown, also known as black ash for traditional basket making. The Tribe’s seed collection efforts are part of a broader strategy to conserve and restore ash. Their seeds are stored for use in their native plant nursery or shared with neighboring Tribes.   

Dr. Jill Hamilton from Penn State and Jeff Carstens from the USDA-Agricultural Research Service highlighted the importance of preserving the genetic biodiversity of ash seeds. Jeff operates the “Fraxinus (ash) Repository” in Ames, Iowa, with ash comprising 20% of its collection—an increase from just 3-4% prior to EAB. Jill and her students are studying and propagating seeds from across the U.S. and Canada, creating a “genetic library of black ash”, with plans to plant 9,000 seedlings from her research greenhouse this spring in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Canadian province of Quebec. 

 The How-To of Ash Seed Preservation     

The second webinar, “ The How-to Ash Seed Preservation from Collection to Propagation,” featured  Ella McDonald and Tyler Everett from the University of Maine’s  Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabankik   (APCAW). They emphasized the urgency of collecting ash seeds from areas affected by EAB, referencing the Brown Ash Seed Collection Manual (Francis, 2023), a key resource to learn about the seed collection process.   

S  peaker Emily Baisden, Director of the Wild Seed Project, expressed her eagerness to expand the non-profit’s intake of brown ash seed. Her facility receives seeds from hundreds of species annually, but Emily hopes to see more brown ash included among them.     

Proper seed drying is essential for seed viability, a sentiment shared by Les Benedict, the Environment Division Assistant Director with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. Les has been a leader in ash preservation both for his Tribe and across the Northeast for decades. He demonstrated multiple seed drying techniques, including how to build a DIY pressurized seed dryer using common hardware materials. Following his talk, participants collaborated on planning their own seed collection cycles during an interactive breakout session.   

 The New Hampshire State Forest Nursery Field Tour     

The series closed with an in-person tour of the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery. Attendees learned how Bill Davidson from the NH Di vision of Forests and Lands will manage the “aftermath forest” left by EAB; a forest without mature ash. Davidson hopes to keep EAB controlled with the help of biocontrols – a host of predatory wasp species that were released in New Hampshire in 2014.

He partnered with Billy Kunelius, the NH State Forest Nursery Manager, to propagate and plant ash seeds collected from various sites in the state to enhance ash regeneration. Billy shared insights on how seeds are sorted, cleaned, and prepared 

for planting. Attendees took part in a field walk through the nursery’s seed processing barn and 16.5 acres of planted saplings. Many of the successfully propagated ash seedlings are slated for planting in New Hampshire’s forests this spring.   

The “Pathways to Sustain Ash” event series engaged audiences both virtually and in-person, sharing the message that collecting seeds—whether to store in a seed bank or for propagation in a nursery—is an act of hope and stewardship. SAP-Ne will continue hosting events this year and is rolling out a network website to share resources on ash protection.