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Interior spruce, lodgepole pine, interior Douglas-fir, western larch,
western white pine, and several broadleaf tree species are important
ecological and economic components in British Columbia’s interior
forests. Today, interior spruce and lodgepole pine represent more than
half of the seedlings planted annually in British Columbia and they are
highly valued for their wood quality, relative to fast-grown plantation
trees from elsewhere in the world. |
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The goal of the tree improvement program in British Columbia is to produce
well-adapted seed or cuttings, selectively bred to produce trees with stable and
improved volume growth, quality, and pest resistance, while maintaining
acceptable levels of genetic diversity. As tree improvement programs on the
coast began to show success, the interior tree breeding research program began
in the late 1960s, starting with interior spruce (Picea glauca, P. engelmannii,
and their hybrids). It has grown to now include breeding and improvement
programs for eight interior species and many seed planning zone combinations.
The Research Program ensures that comprehensive gene resource management
programs are developed and implemented to ensure appropriate development of
forest tree materials by conventional plant breeding practices, conservation of
genetic resources, and risk reduction (i.e., adaptation and resilience to
climate change and other disturbances).
The interior tree breeding research program provides critical support to:
- address reforestation issues in
the interior such as maladaption of planting stock and achievement of
free-growing status;
- understand how to adapt forest
management activities to climate change and its risks;
- respond to forest health risks
such as spruce terminal weevil, white pine blister, mountain pine beetle,
and root diseases; and
- improve industry competitiveness
through protection and enhancements of reforestation investments and
long-term volume gains.
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Identified, selected, and grafted 65 forward selections of interior spruce
from the Prince George Series 1st-and 2nd-generation
genetic tests.
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Raised
and released a population of terminal weevils for screening two interior
spruce genetic tests (PG Series Two and the McLeese Lake somatic embling
trial) to further evaluate resistance.
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Measured 3-year height of interior spruce on 18 sites in the BC/Alberta
climate change project.
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Measured 21-year height and diameter of interior Douglas-fir on three sites
in the Cariboo Transition Series II genetic tests, 20-year height on four
West Kootenay high elevation sites, and 20-year height on three Nass Skeena
sites.
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Measured 15-year height and diameter of western larch on four sites in the
Nelson Series I genetic tests.
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Measured realized genetic
gain trial sites for southern and central interior seed planting units (SPU)
(4 and 6, respectively).
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Measured the seed orchard
realized genetic gain trial sites for the southern interior.
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Selected 12 southern
interior sites for the first phase of the “Facilitated Migration of Multiple
Species Adaptational Trial.” Acquired Class A and Class B seedlots
for the first phase of this trial.
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Conducting progeny test
selections for the Central Interior Western Gall Rust Resistance, PG
low Lodgepole pine SPU, and NE low Lodgepole pine SPU. Expansion of seed
orchards continues with scion collection and grafting completion scheduled
for spring 2008.
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Involved in planning the
Western White Pine Genetics and Management Workshop in Vernon, June
17-18, 2008.
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Presented a paper at the
joint meeting of the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Council and Western
Forest Genetic Association in Galveston, Texas, on a study conducted to
model environmental effects on wood density in lodgepole pine.
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Presented a paper on
western larch tree
improvement and seed deployment in British Columbia at
Larix 2007: International Symposium of
the IUFRO Working Group S2.02.07, Quebec City, Que, September 17 – 21, 2007.
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Published a paper on the evaluation of
genetic variation of resistance and attack of mountain pine beetle on
lodgepole pine.
- One of three Canadian
delegates at the XXX Reunion of the FAO, North American Forest Genetics
Working Group, Corvallis, Oreg, September 24-27, 2007.
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Organized three stops on field tour at the BC Seed Orchard Manager’s
Meeting, Prince George, B.C., June 26-28, 2007.
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Consultation on seed transfer in several interior Forest Districts.
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Jaquish, B. 2007. Interior
spruce tree improvement in British Columbia. Presentation at the SAB program
review of the Treenomix BC research program. University of British
Columbia, June 14, 2007.
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Jaquish, B. 2007. EP672 -
Effects of altitudinal and lateral displacement of white and Engelmann
spruce provenances: Prince Rupert plantations. Presentation at the Northern
Silvicultural Committee Summer Field Tour, Smithers, B.C., June 19, 2007.
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Forest Tree Genetic Resource Conservation and Management Challenge Dialogue,
Co-chair—A
dialogue with stakeholders to create a collective vision and strategy for
genetic resource conservation and management to support sustainable forest
management in British Columbia, congruent to the range of values outlined in
the Provincial Chief Forester’s Sustainable Forest Management framework.
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Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia,
Interior Technical Advisory and the Operational Tree Improvement
Project Review Committees—The
Council guides tree improvement activities in the province. Research Branch
forest geneticists actively participate in providing technical and policy
information to the Council and in reviewing and evaluating operational tree
improvement projects.
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Long-term Multi-species Facilitated Migration Trial Planning—Responsible
for all aspects of selection, testing, breeding, and related research of
interior tree species.
- UBC Genome BC
Forestry Project, Co-operator—Research
project to study genome sequencing of poplar and spruce in order to identify
the genetic blueprints that determine characteristics such as resistance
against forest insect pests, adaptation to climate change, and wood quality.
Carlson, M., V. Berger, and N.
Ukrainetz. [2008]. Paper birch makes the team. TicTalk. In press.
Corrigan, J., M. Carlson, G.
Giampa, V. Berger, C. Walsh, and W. Strong. 2006. They're heeere! - Observations
of the first mountain pine beetle attacks recorded at the Kalamalka Forestry
Centre. TicTalk 7(1):4–8.
Jaquish, B. 2007. Western larch
tree improvement and seed deployment in British Columbia. Paper presented at
Larix 2007: International Symposium of the IUFRO Working Group S2.02.07. Quebec
City, Que., September 17-21, 2007.
Jaquish, B. 2007. Western larch
tree improvement in British Columbia. Presentation at the BC Seed Orchard
Manager's Meeting. Prince George, B.C., June 26, 2007.
Khasa, D.P.,
J.P. Jaramillo-Correa, B. Jaquish, and J. Bousquet. 2006. Contrasting
microsatellite variation between subalpine larch and western larch, two closely
related species with different distribution patterns. Molecular Ecol.
15(13):3907-3918.
O'Neill, G., M. Carlson, V.
Berger, and A. Yanchuk. [2008]. Responding to climate change: facilitating
seedlot migration to maximize adaptation of future forest plantations. TicTalk.
In press.
Stoehr, M.U.,
H. Mehl, G. Nicholson, G. Pieper, and C. Newton. 2006. Evaluating supplemental
mass pollination efficacy in a lodgepole pine orchard in British Columbia using
chloroplast DNA markers. New Forests 31:83–90.
Xie, C.-Y., M.R. Carlson, and
J.C. Murphy 2007. Predicting individual breeding values and making forward
selections from open-pollinated progeny test trials for seed orchard established
of interior lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) in
British Columbia. New Forests 33:125-138.
von Aderkas, P., L.vKong and M.
Carlson. [2007]. One bud, two bud, three bud, four: making lodgepole pine buds
count. TicTalk. In press.
Yanchuk,
A.D., J.C. Murphy, and K.F. Wallin. 2007. Evaluation of genetic variation of
attack and resistance in lodgepole pine in the early stages of a mountain pine
beetle outbreak. Tree Genetic and Genomes. Published on-line. [abstract]
Michael Carlson,
Research Scientist (Kalamalka)
Barry Jaquish,
Research Scientist (Kalamalka)
Nicholas Ukrainetz,
Research Scientist (Kalamalka)
Ministry contact: Alvin Yanchuk
Please direct questions regarding webpage to For.Prodres@gov.bc.ca
Updated March 2008 |
