COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015

Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Assessing the ecological importance

of Fraxinus excelsior in the UK

Hodgetts Botanical
Services

Ruth Mitchell, Alice Broome & many others

Photo: David Genney SNH

WG 1: Tasks and Deliverables

Task: Characterise the importance of

native tree species

Deliverable: Database of environmental

importance of European tree species

Question: How do you assess the

ecological importance of a tree species?

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Fraxinus excelsior
Ash dieback caused by: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus
also called:
Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus
Chalara fraxinea

Arrived UK February 2012

What are the ecological implications?

UK policy makers aware of the ecological
importance of ash

We did it backwards!

Global Warning – identification of

importance before diseases arrive!

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

Ash-associated species
Association Definition

Obligate Only found on Fraxinus excelsior

High Rarely uses tree species other than Fraxinus excelsior

Partial Uses Fraxinus excelsior more frequently than its availability

Cosmopolitan Uses Fraxinus excelsior as frequently as, or less than, its availability

Uses Uses ash but the importance of Fraxinus excelsior for this species is
unknown

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Data sources

1) National databases: proportion of occurrences on Fraxinus excelsior

• The Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland
• British Lichen Society database

2 ) Literature: more subjective assessment

• Peer reviewed literature
• Unpublished and published records

Ash-associated species
955 ash-associated species:
• 12 birds • 68 fungi
• 28 mammals • 241 invertebrates
• 58 bryophytes • 548 lichens

45 obligate species on ash: 4 lichens, 11 fungi, 30 invertebrates

62 highly associated species: 19 fungi, 13 lichens, 6 bryophytes, 24
invertebrates
Obligate and highly associated species most at risk from ash
dieback
The number of obligate and highly associated species – provides
measure of ecological importance of tree species

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

Most at risk species ?

Conservation status
None Unknown Yes
Obligate
High
Partial
Uses
Cosmopolitan

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Most at risk species ?

Conservation status
None Unknown Yes
Obligate 35 3 7
High 36 7 19
Partial 284 8 52
Uses 99 14 59
Cosmopolitan 284 8 38

71 Red-coded The number of Red-coded and

170 Amber-coded Amber-coded species – provides
measure of ecological importance
383 Yellow-coded
of tree species
330 Green-coded

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Ecosystem function
Litter quality Fraxinus > Tilia = Acer > Fagus
excelsior cordata pseudoplatanus sylvatica

Top soil pH Fraxinus = Tilia > Fagus > Picea

excelsior cordata sylvatica abies

Leaf decomposition rate Fraxinus > Tilia = Acer > Fagus

excelsior cordata pseudoplatanus sylvatica

Litter accumulation Fraxinus = Prunus < Tilia = Alnus = Quercus

excelsior avium cordata glutinosa robur/petraea

Function of ash very different from other UK deciduous tree species

The more dissimilar a tree species is in function to other species the
more ecologically important it is.

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Impacts on woodland ground flora

Shade
Moisture
Nutrients in litter fall
Decomposition rate

Changes in ground flora

• Few vascular plants highly associated with F. excelsior – most also

found in other habitats
•
•The Are
But – there
theparticular
unique
bigger species in
change ground flora
composition
ground species
causedassociated
associated
flora with
by with
theF.loss of aF.tree
excelsior
excelsior?
woods species the more ecologically important it is?
• Loss of F. excelsior will lead to significant changes in community
composition

Methods to assess ecological

importance:
1. Species – association with ash
2. Species – association plus rarity/conservation
concern
3. Ecological function – decomposition etc.
4. Woodland understorey
5. Similarity to other tree species

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Similarity to other tree species -

species use
48 alternative tree species assessed
955 ash-associated species
45840 assessments!
Abies alba Fraxinus ornus Pseudotsuga menziesii
Acer campestre Fraxinus pennsylvanica Pterocarya fraxinifolia
Acer platanoides Ilex aquifolium Quercus cerris
Acer pseudoplatanus Juglans nigra Quercus robur/petraea
Aesculus hippocastanum Juglans regia Quercus rubra
Alnus cordata Larix decidua Salix caprea
Alnus glutinosa Ligustrum vulgare Salix cinerea
Betula pubescens/pendula Malus sylvestris Sambucus nigra
Carpinus betulus Ostrya carpinifolia Sorbus aria
Carya ovata Pinus sylvestris Sorbus aucuparia
Castanea sativa Platanus x hybrid Sorbus torminalis
Corylus avellana Populus nigra Taxus baccata
Crataegus monogyna Populus tremula Thuja plicata
Fagus sylvatica Prunus avium Tilia cordata
Fraxinus americana Prunus padus Tilia platyphyllos
Fraxinus mandschurica Prunus spinosa Ulmus procera/glabra

Similarity to other tree species -

species use

Yes No Unknown

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Similarity to other tree species –

Ecosystem function
Decomposi Litter Nutrient No. of
tion quality cycling species
Acer campestre
Acer pseudoplatanus
Alnus glutinosa
Betula pubescens/pendula
Fagus sylvatica
Juglans regia
Populus tremula
Prunus avium
Quercus robur/petraea
Sorbus aucuparia
Tilia cordata

Most similar
Intermediate similarity
Least similar

Similarity to other tree species -

Decomposi Litter Nutrient No. of

tion quality cycling species
Acer campestre
Acer pseudoplatanus
Alnus glutinosa
Betula pubescens/pendula
Fagus sylvatica
Juglans regia
Populus tremula
Prunus avium
Quercus robur/petraea
Sorbus aucuparia
Tilia cordata

Can other
Most similartree species replace both the functioning and species
F. excelsior has a unique combination of species
Intermediate similarity
use? – a measure of theuse
ecological importance.
and function
Least similar

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Collating the data

Unique database collating all

ecological information on ash-
associated species.

User friendly version now available

on internet

This approach could be used for any

other plant disease

Conclusions for F. excelsior

More important for other species than previously realised – 45

obligate species

Differences in ecosystem function from other tree species previously

unknown

The role of F. excelsior is not easily replaceable

Only once you start to loose something do you realise its importance!

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Implications for Global warning

Considerations when assessing the ecological importance of a tree
species:
1. Species use and level of associated
2. Rare species with high association
3. Compare ecological function to other tree species
4. Impacts on woodland understorey
5. How different is the species ecologically from other tree species?

Potential problems:
Can’t do this level of detail for all tree species?
Lack of data

Other measures of importance:

Social
Cultural
Economic

Acknowledgements

Photo: David Genney SNH

Funders:
Project team:
• Defra
• The James Hutton Institute
• Department of the Environment Northern Ireland
• Forest Research
• Forestry Commission
• Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
• JNCC
• University of Aberdeen
• Natural England
• RSPB
• Natural Resources Wales
• Independent Bryologist
• Scottish Natural Heritage

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COST Action FP1401 Global Warning - 15/05/2015
Trabzon Turkey 24-25/3/2015

Further information
Broome et al. (2014) Ash dieback and loss of biodiversity. Can management make
broadleaved woodlands more resilient? Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 108, 241-248.

Mitchell et al. (2104) Ash dieback in the UK: a review of the ecological and conservation
implications and potential management options. Biological Conservation, 175, 95-109

Mitchell et al. (2014) Assessing and addressing the impacts of ash dieback on UK woodlands
and trees of conservation importance (Phase 2). Natural England Commissioned Reports,
Number 151.
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5273931279761408

Mitchell et al. (2014) The potential ecological impact of ash dieback in the UK. JNCC Report
No. 483 http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6459

Ruth.Mitchell@hutton.ac.uk

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