Overview
Led by Travis Banks and Darby McGrath of Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, this project will initiate work to develop a Norway maple tree that is no longer invasive, in an effort to keep our cities green. Pests and disease are destroying city trees and there are no alternatives suitable to survive the extreme conditions of Ontario urban environments. Having fallen out of favour because of invasiveness, Norway maple was used extensively as an urban tree, which thrives in polluted and compact soils, withstands hot summers and cold winters, and suffers few diseases. SPARK funding will enable DNA sequencing of the Norway maple genome and update methods to identify new Norway maple plants that are unable to create fertile seeds.