Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is listed as Endangered in Ontario as part of the Protected Species in Ontario List under the Species Conservation Act (SCA). The main threat to this species is Butternut Canker (Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum) which is a fungus that affects the cambial layer of butternut. Other threats include tree cutting, habitat loss, predation, and hybridization with exotic walnut species. Forest Gene Conservation Association (FGCA) has been working on recovering this species with the help of our many partners.
Do you have a healthy butternut? We want to know!
Butternut recovery involves many different activities and organizations. Forest Gene Conservation Association (FGCA) is conducting a number of projects that contribute to butternut recovery that include:
1. Archiving
Begins with gathering material from individuals showing putative tolerance to canker, producing putatively tolerant progeny with the purpose of reintroducing them back onto the landscape in butternuts ecological niche. Tasks involved in this process include:
- Scion Collection
- Grafting
- Seed Orchard Establishment/ management
2. Seed collection
Seeds from carefully selected pure butternut individuals from orchards and wild trees showing signs of good health are collected to grow seedlings.
3. Seedling production and re-introduction
Seeds collected from our orchards across Ontario are used to propagate seedlings that are available for purchase to partners for re-introduction. We look for partners with land tenure and the ability as well as interest to tend and monitor these seedlings long term.
Monitoring the health and recruitment status of the reintroduced trees will help inform our reintroduction program by understanding how these seedlings are performing in different locations.
4. Butternut Health Assessor (BHA) Workshops
Recently, there have been changes to the legislation protecting butternut trees in Ontario. This has the possibility to impact the need for and process of Butternut Health Assessments in the province. FGCA is working to gather information about the new SCA as it pertains to butternut, and we will endeavor to offer a comprehensive butternut workshop in 2027. If you are interested in this workshop, you can sign up on the waitlist below. We will send updates to the waitlist on the status of this workshop.
Sign up for the waitlist today!
5. Butternut Habitat Assessments
FGCA is conducting ongoing habitat studies to understand what makes suitable butternut habitat. This is important to inform decision making for critical habitat, re-introduction activities and butternut recovery as a whole. These assessments consider ecological land classification activities such as vegetation surveys, soil sampling and understanding features such as; topography, aspect, and geographic location.
6. Outreach
FGCA has many different avenues to engage with partners and the public about our recovery programs. Some of these activities include:
- Social media platforms
- Conference attendance
- Presentations at events
- News articles
- Radio interviews
- Podcasts
We want to hear from you
In our butternut recovery program we are always looking for healthy butternuts to include in our archives, we are looking for healthy butternut in areas where there are dead and dying trees. If you are interested in contributing to butternut recovery and you have a tree that fits this description, we would love to hear from you.
Please see our Butternut Handout PDF here!
If you are interested in learning more about Butternut please visit our Butternut resource page.