Improvement in Wood by Using Genetics

Abstract

Initially, only a few tree improvement programs included wood as a characteristic to be genetically manipulated. Emphases in the early programs were on adaptability, pest tolerance, growth rate, and tree form. Certainly those characteristics are of importance, but since wood is the final objective of many forestry activities, it should also be included. Initially, the huge amount of variation in wood was not well-recognized and most foresters attributed it to environmental differences, since the training of foresters emphasized the controlling effect of environment. However, as Smith (1970) pointed out, the range of variation in wood is so large, even after intensive selection for volume, form, and branching, that effective selection for wood improvement is possible (Fig. 13.1).