Scientists rejoice as British trees evolve resistance to devastating ash dieback fungus

Britain's trees are evolving resistance to the deadly ash dieback fungus, scientists have revealed. The disease, which arrived in Britain in 2012, has wrought havoc on the countryside, leaving behind the skeletal remains of dying ash trees. Previous estimates predict that up to 85 per cent of ash trees will succumb to the disease, and COBRA have held emergency meetings about how to deal with the issue. But now, experts have discovered that a new generation of ash trees, growing naturally in woodland, exhibit greater resistance to the disease compared to older trees. They found that natural selection is acting upon thousands of locations within ash tree DNA, driving the evolution of resistance.