Publications released! Analysis of conservation threats, gaps, and status of priority U.S. trees

[Emily Beckman]

The Morton Arboretum, Botanic Gardens Conservation International U.S., and the USDA Forest Service are pleased to announce the release of the Conservation Gap Analysis of U.S. Trees in Nine Priority Genera, which includes individual reports for Carya, Fagus, Gymnocladus, Juglans, Pinus, Taxus, and selected Lauraceae (Lindera, Persea, Sassafras). They would like to thank everyone who participated in this endeavor, which they hope will drive future partnerships, collaborations, and, ultimately, further preservation of native U.S. tree diversity, both in situ and ex situ.

With funding from the USDA Forest Service (Cooperative Agreement 16- CA-11132546-045) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (award #MA-30-18-0273-18), The Morton Arboretum and Botanic Gardens Conservation International U.S. have examined both the accomplishments and most urgent needs for in situ (on-site) and ex situ (off-site) conservation of selected at-risk native U.S. trees. Each report provides a summary of ecology, distribution, and threats, followed by new results from two recent surveys: a global survey of ex situ collections and a conservation action questionnaire distributed to a wide range of conservation practitioners. The reports identify those species which are most and least well-conserved ex situ, according to metrics such as size of collections, geographic coverage of collections, known wild provenance, and continent of ex situ institution. The data presented in these reports will aid in prioritizing conservation actions and coordinating activities among stakeholders, furthering the efficient and effective conservation of keystone U.S. trees.

For questions, please contact Amy Byrne, Global Tree Conservation Coordinator at The Morton Arboretum (abyrne@mortonarb.org).

Many thanks again to all who made this report possible!

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