Link to: Conservation
Conservation
Link to: Adaptation
Adaptation
Link to: Health & Productivity
Health & Productivity
BC’s forest sector is dependent on a sustainable supply of high-quality timber. Tree improvement activities, including tree breeding and seed orchards, increase the value of BC’s forests by producing seedlings with superior growth, wood quality and pest resistance. Forests established using selected seed can produce more volume of wood in a shorter period compared to using seed collected from wild stands.
FGC’s goals are to increase the amount of select seed used for reforestation and increase the genetic gain for volume and pest resistance of select seed. Currently, 67% of seedlings planted in BC are grown from select seed with an average genetic improvement for volume of +21%.
Health and Productivity Panel Photo: The late Dr. John Russell examining western redcedar (Thuja plicata) seedlings at the Cowichan Lake Research Station. Credit: Chad Hipolito © Genome Canada, 2017.