Thursday 31st July 2025
10:30 – 12:30 pm in Library Link 3, James Joyce Library, Belfield
Watch the fantastic video created by Patrice Harrington, Communications Officer from UCD Sustainability. This video was made on 31st July 2025 at the UCD Citizen Science Community of Practice event “Ash for Future – a Citizen Science Approach” with UCD landscape architect Sophia Meeres and Dheeraj Rathore, tree improvement researcher at Teagasc.
At this event Sophia & Dheeraj gave presentations in Library Link 3 – see PDF of their presentations here. This was followed by a walk on campus, where Dheeraj showed participants how to identify Class 1 healthy ash trees.
The decimation of Ireland’s iconic ash trees is heartbreaking – but you can help bring them back!
Teagasc needs the general public to identify and report healthy ash trees, particularly ones flourishing alongside trees that have been badly affected – you can report a healthy ash tree at this link: https://teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/research/report-a-healthy-ash-tree/
Ash dieback disease arrived here in 2012 and though it will affect almost all ash trees and kill 90% of them, some 5% will be highly tolerant. Teagasc is generating a collection of these highly tolerant trees with the aim of eventually repopulating the Irish landscape with them.
They are already growing these more tolerant trees at sites in the Phoenix Park and in Kilkenny.
And here’s a second video created by Patrice with UCD Sustainability summer intern Kendra Paleczny who did a super Q&A with both Sophia and Dheeraj asking these questions:
🌿 Why is ash important to Ireland?
🌿 How can you identify an ash tree?
🌿 What is ash dieback disease?
🌿 What can the general public do to help?
Dheeraj Rathore is a Tree Improvement Research Officer at Teagasc, leading national efforts to conserve and improve broadleaf and commercial tree species, particularly ash, elm, birch, sycamore and alder. His work focuses on developing disease- and climate-resilient planting material through breeding, molecular tools, and stakeholder collaboration.
Sophia Meeres is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture in the UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy. Her research interests relate to the transformation of landscapes and the process of change and the importance of people participating in the planning process. Her current focus is on the trees (outside the forest), and the need for policy.