Breeding for more resilient plantations
Tree breeding and forest genetics has always been regarded as a means of finding dramatic productivity increases that eventually lead to plantations being seen as providing the primary wood resource for the future. Tree breeding has evolved in sophistication from simple phenotypic selection techniques, through the applied use of quantitative genetics to the use of marker-aided selection which have become increasingly sophisticated over the past 30 years. Plantation expansion has been the catalyst for the focus on breeding, where genetic advances are able to be exploited in a timely manner. Initial breeding focus on growth improvement has been successful, but has sometimes led to deterioration in wood quality and adaptive traits. This highlighted the need for multi-trait breeding the need to find ‘correlation breakers’, those genotypes that broke the mould of adverse genetic correlations between traits. The push to expand plantation species into new environments resulted in increased interest in hybrid development, often accompanied by vegetative propagation techniques and culminating in clonal forestry. While productivity improvements have been spectacular there is concern that changing climate and the ever present threat of exotic pests and diseases could lead to disaster for some plantation programs. This paper will explore the changing circumstances faced by tree breeders in terms of climate, markets for plantation products, breeding techniques and tools and the general support for breeding as part of plantation forest management around the world.
Biography
Dr. Peter Volker, a past President of the Institute of Foresters of Australia, has 30 years of experience linking research with operational forestry. His expertise is in forest genetics and silviculture, particularly in cold-temperate eucalypts where he has worked on quantitative genetics of hybrids and silviculture to produce solid wood products. He has operational experience in China and Chile where he has worked with local foresters to improve productivity and to determine changes in silvicultural regimes to meet the needs of their communities. Tasmania is a hot bed of debate about the role of plantations in replacement of native forests and he has been an active participant.