<html>
<head>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Verdana
}
</style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<div class="mxb">
Rhonda,<br><br>I don't know if this kind of thing should go onto the UCC Digest. Maybe it is something to think about as we go to the tree sale. I leave it up to you.<br><br>The "home to more than 300 wild
fruit and nut species including apple, plum, cherry, apricot and
walnut" are facing extinction. ..."A lot of our domestic fruit supply comes from a very narrow genetic
base," she continued. "Given the threats posed to food supplies by
disease and the changing climate, we may need to go back to these
species and include them in breeding programmes." <br><br>05/08/2009...<br><h1>Wild fruit trees face extinction
</h1>
</div>
<!-- S BO -->
<!-- S IBYL -->
<div class="mvb">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="466">
<tbody><tr>
<td valign="bottom">
<div class="mvb">
<span class="byl">
By Victoria Gill
</span>
<br>
<span class="byd">
Science reporter, BBC News
</span>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif" alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="466"><br>
</div>
<!-- E IBYL -->
<!-- S IIMA -->
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226">
<tbody><tr><td>
<div>
<img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45742000/jpg/_45742603_forestinkyrgyzstancreditchrisloadesffi.jpg" alt="Kyrgyzstan forest" border="0" height="350" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="226">
<div class="cap">Kyrgyzstan's forests are home to the ancestors of domestic apples</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!-- E IIMA -->
<!-- S SF --><p class="first"><b>The wild ancestors of common domestic fruit trees are in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.</b>
</p>Researchers have published a "red list" of threatened species that grow in the forests of Central Asia. <BR>
These disease-resistant and climate-tolerant fruit trees could play a role in our future food security. <BR>
But in the last 50 years, about 90% of the forests have been
destroyed, according to conservation charity, Fauna & Flora
International. <BR>
<!-- E SF -->The Red List of Central Asia identifies 44 tree species
in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as
under threat from extinction. <BR>
It cites over-exploitation and human development as among the main
threats to the region's forests, which are home to more than 300 wild
fruit and nut species including apple, plum, cherry, apricot and
walnut. <BR>
Antonia Eastwood, the lead author of the research, described the region as a "unique global hotspot of diversity". <BR>
"A lot of these species are only found in this area," she told BBC
News. "It's very mountainous and dry, so many of these species have a
great deal of tolerance to cold and drought. <BR>
"A lot of our domestic fruit supply comes from a very narrow genetic
base," she continued. "Given the threats posed to food supplies by
disease and the changing climate, we may need to go back to these
species and include them in breeding programmes." <BR>
<b>Farming fruit</b>
<BR>
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are thought to be the ancestral homes of
familiar favourites such as Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. <BR>
The US Department of Agriculture has already sponsored expeditions
to Kazakhstan, during which scientists have collected samples with the
aim of expanding the genetic diversity of farm-grown apples.<BR>
<!-- S IIMA -->
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226">
<tbody><tr><td>
<div>
<img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45742000/jpg/_45742602_ffiishelpingcommunitiesinkyrgyzstantoprotecttheirforestscreditchrisloades.jpg" alt="Kyrgyzstan fruit harvest" border="0" height="170" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="226">
<div class="cap">Communities in Central Asia are learning to use the forests sustainably</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!-- E IIMA -->
This type of genetic foraging, Dr Eastwood explained, allows
domestic lines to be crossed with wild strains, producing varieties
more resistant to diseases such as apple scab, a fungus that can
devastate crops. <BR>
"But these countries lack the resources to conserve their valuable trees," added Dr Eastwood. <BR>
This year, as part of the the UK Darwin Initiative, Fauna &
Flora International is working with scientists in Kyrgyzstan to carry
out research on threatened trees and develop methods to harvest the
fruit sustainably. <BR>
The organisation is training local scientists and involving communities in the planning and managing of their own forests. <BR>
<!-- E BO -->
<br><br clear="all">
<h3><br></h3><br><br>> From: urbancropcircle-request@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> Subject: UrbanCropCircle Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3<br>> To: urbancropcircle@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> Date: Thu, 7 May 2009 13:07:04 -0700<br>> <br>> Send UrbanCropCircle mailing list submissions to<br>> urbancropcircle@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<br>> http://lists.sustainableballard.org/listinfo.cgi/urbancropcircle-sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<br>> urbancropcircle-request@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> You can reach the person managing the list at<br>> urbancropcircle-owner@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br>> than "Re: Contents of UrbanCropCircle digest..."<br>> <br>> <br>> Today's Topics:<br>> <br>> 1. Garden Updates, Tomato Sale (rhonda@sustainableballard.org)<br>> <br>> <br>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------<br>> <br>> Message: 1<br>> Date: Wed, 6 May 2009 20:50:40 -0700 (PDT)<br>> From: rhonda@sustainableballard.org<br>> Subject: [UrbanCropCircle] Garden Updates, Tomato Sale<br>> To: urbancropcircle@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> Message-ID:<br>> <f036047ac2161f0f036423784552e893.squirrel@webmail.sustainableballard.org><br>> <br>> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1<br>> <br>> First of all, my apologies for mis-addressing to the list and you did not<br>> receive the meeting reminder that I sent to only ME (sigh, and it isn't<br>> even mercury retrograde yet).<br>> <br>> At the same time the speaker for the evening fell through, even if the<br>> group was smaller we had a good time. If anyone is feeling deprived of<br>> garden talk, feel free to share what is happening in your garden. For<br>> instance, I was concerned that my baby broccoli raab's flowered as soon as<br>> they hit the dirt outside but Christina's did the same thing, hmmm.<br>> <br>> One of our new group members, Kate Folchert, is having a sale this<br>> Saturday from 9-1 for her unusual tomato called "Uncle Wilfred". They are<br>> supposedly good for this climate and she's selling them for $2 a start.<br>> What a deal!<br>> <br>> Saturday, May 9th, 9-1<br>> 8031 Jones Ave NW<br>> <br>> Also, Plant Amnesty's very fun Tree Festival is this weekend and the UCC<br>> will be represented in the Sustainable Ballard booth. Ingela has some<br>> available shifts, not a big time commitment and it will be a great way to<br>> hang at the festival. The weather report looks good! Here's the link to<br>> check it out and if you have a couple hours shoot Ingela an email at<br>> Ingela@sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> http://www.plantamnesty.org/festival/home/default.aspx<br>> <br>> I will be out of town for a couple weeks and worrying about my plants<br>> already! Happy Gardening!<br>> <br>> Rhonda<br>> <br>> Oh! An idea that was talked about on Monday is for some get-togethers at<br>> different houses, so we can see our gardens in person. It would have to<br>> be in addition to the regular meeting at the community center because that<br>> is an advertised thing through the parks department, but I'm sure we can<br>> figure it out.<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> ------------------------------<br>> <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> UrbanCropCircle mailing list<br>> UrbanCropCircle@lists.sustainableballard.org<br>> http://lists.sustainableballard.org/listinfo.cgi/urbancropcircle-sustainableballard.org<br>> <br>> <br>> End of UrbanCropCircle Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3<br>> **********************************************<br></body>
</html>