Protecting Autumn Colour for Future Generations

The 22nd September marks the autumn equinox, and the next few months will see visitors flocking to Forestry England’s Westonbirt, the National Arboretum for its world-famous autumn colour display. However, protecting these colours for future generations in the face of growing threats is a mammoth job, requiring decades of careful planning and care.

Earlier today Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) published The Red List of Acer: revised and extended giving the conservation status of all 158 maple or Acer species, which form the base of the arboretum’s autumn spectacle.

The report reveals that one in five maple species (36 species) are at high risk of extinction in the near future and in need of conservation action, with 75% of these threatened species geographically restricted in their native ranges. Encouragingly though, the majority of Acer species (71.5%) are not threatened with extinction in the wild.

The arboretum is home to 113 threatened tree species, including some maples which are now threatened with extinction, including:

• Acer miaotaiense: Currently classed as Vulnerable, and threatened by habitat loss due to logging, land development and road construction. This species is exceedingly rare in cultivation and is only known to be grown in just a few botanical gardens worldwide, making Westonbirt one of the few places you can see this tree.
• Paperbark maple, Acer griseum: Native to China the Paperbark maple is Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Today, there are only 9 known, fragmented populations in the wild.
• Acer pentaphyllum: Today there are only 4 population of this Critically Endangered species left in the wild. It faces threats such as logging, flooding as well as overgrazing meaning that new trees struggle to establish.
• Japanese red maple, Acer pycnanthum: Vulnerable in the wild, there are only around 1,500 mature specimens remaining, often in small sub-populations of less than 20 trees. It is threatened with habitat loss as a result of development and expanding forestry plantations.

Westonbirt Arboretum will have a vital role to play in conserving these and other threatened species, both at the arboretum and in England’s wider woodlands and forests.

Mark Ballard, Curator at Westonbirt Arboretum said:

‘While the arboretum is a popular visitor attraction and a great place to come and see the shades of autumn at their finest, Westonbirt is also a site scientifically important; a large part of our role is conserving these magnificent plants for future generations. Our team travels all over the world collecting seeds to grow in the arboretum with 85% of our seeds collected from the wild. This allows us to examine these plants in their native habitat, while the collection provides a living resource for scientists to understand how best to protect them and to help ensure that threatened species do not go extinct.

We also work with different organisations to support scientific research into threatened species. For example, at the moment the arboretum is hosting a colleague from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), who is working to establish Global Conservation Consortia to develop strategies to protect at risk tree groups, including maples.’

Whilst collecting seed from the wild is strictly regulated and members of the public should not bring back seeds or plant materials from abroad, there are things that the public can do to help protect trees. These include very simple things like cleaning boots, vehicles and dogs after a visit to a local woodland to help limit the spread of pests and diseases, to buying timber (or other wooden products) from sustainable sources, such as timber that is certified FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).