Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
09:33
A Technical Perspective in Modern Tree-ring Research - How to Overcome Dendroecological and Wood Anatomical Challenges
Published on: March 5, 2015
Accelerating the domestication of forest trees in a changing world
Antoine Harfouche1, Richard Meilan, Matias Kirst
1Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Viterbo 01100, Italy. aharfouche@unitus.it
Trends in Plant Science
|January 3, 2012
Summary
Accelerating forest tree domestication is crucial for meeting future demands for wood and biomaterials. Integrating modern genetics with traditional breeding, alongside regulatory approval and public acceptance, is key to success.
Area of Science:
- Forestry and Plant Genetics
- Sustainable Biomaterials Development
Background:
- Impending global shortages of water and arable land necessitate sustainable resource management.
- Population growth and climate change exacerbate the demand for wood, biomass, paper, fuel, and biomaterials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine methods for accelerating forest tree domestication to meet future demands.
- To explore the integration of modern genetic and genomic techniques with conventional breeding for faster tree improvement.
Main Methods:
- Review of traditional genetic improvement methods in forestry.
- Analysis of the potential of modern genetic and genomic technologies.
- Consideration of economic, regulatory, and social factors influencing adoption.
Main Results:
- Traditional breeding methods alone are insufficient due to long tree breeding cycles.
- Integrating modern genetic and genomic techniques can significantly expedite tree domestication.
- Cost-effectiveness, accessibility, regulatory approval, and public acceptance are critical for technology adoption.
Conclusions:
- Accelerated forest tree domestication is essential for sustainable resource provision.
- A multidisciplinary approach combining advanced technologies with conventional breeding is required.
- Collaboration among breeders, landowners, regulators, and the public is vital for societal benefit.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
01:28Softwoods and Hardwoods
Softwoods and hardwoods, derived from different types of trees, are distinguished by their leaf structures and cellular compositions, each serving unique purposes in construction and manufacturing. Softwoods come from cone-bearing trees with needle-like leaves and are predominantly composed of longitudinal cells called tracheids and a smaller proportion of radial cells known as rays. Due to their cellular structure, softwoods are commonly used in construction for structural frames, sheathing,...
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
01:50Global Climate Change
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.