Integrating Traditional Breeding and Modern Biotechnology for Advanced Forest Tree Improvement

In the context of global climate change and efforts toward "carbon peak and carbon neutrality," forest resource protection and restoration have become fundamental to ecological civilization. The genetic improvement of trees, as the primary component of forest ecosystems, holds strategic importance for ecological security, resource supply, and carbon neutrality. Traditional tree breeding techniques, including selective and hybrid breeding, have established robust technical systems through extensive practice. However, these methods face limitations such as extended cycles, reduced efficiency, and constrained genetic gains in meeting contemporary requirements. Modern biotechnologies, including genomic selection (GS), gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9), and marker-assisted selection (MAS), substantially enhance the precision and efficiency of genetic improvement. Nevertheless, exclusive reliance on either traditional or modern methods proves insufficient for addressing complex environmental adaptation and rapid breeding requirements. Consequently, the integration of traditional breeding with modern biotechnology to develop intelligent, sustainable, and efficient breeding strategies has emerged as a central focus in tree genetics and breeding. An integrated "step-by-step" approach warrants promotion, supported by a multi-source data sharing platform, an optimized core germplasm repository, and a "climate-soil-genotype" matching model to facilitate the region-specific deployment of improved varieties.