Resolution of Priorities in Taxonomy, Ecology, and Conservation of Quercus austrina

Project Contact: Thomas Arbour, Curator of Living Collections, Holden Forests and Gardens, 9550 Sperry Rd, Kirtland, Ohio, USA.

Executive Summary: This project is the result of a collaboration of organizations affiliated with the Global Conservation Consortium Oak (GCCO), to implement recommendations identified in the Quercus austrina Conservation Action Plan (Byrne & Lance, 2024). We propose the following actions to be funded: 1) collection of scion wood of important in situ Q. austrina populations across the Southeastern USA, 2) grafting scions onto understock of various white oak species and subsequent distribution to public gardens for ex-situ conservation, 3) conducting a grafting workshop in Columbia, Missouri, to train those interested in grafting Q. austrina and other rare oaks, and 4) visiting, vouchering, and gathering ecological data on the remaining unverified potential Q. austrina populations as identified by Ron Lance.

Target Species: 
Quercus austrina (VU)