Forestry

Biotechnology in the forest sector

Biotechnology encompasses a wide range of scientific techniques that use living organisms or their parts, to make or modify products. Conventional plant biotechnology - plant breeding - has been used for thousands of years for the improvement of crops. Its use for breeding and improvement of forest trees is more recent. Modern biotechnologies currently used in forestry fall broadly into three categories:

1. Biotechnologies based on molecular markers can be used to, inter alia: (i) quantify genetic diversity between populations and individual trees; (ii) identify genotypes in taxonomic studies, biological studies and "genetic fingerprinting"; and (iii) locate genes affecting quantitative traits of economic importance. The markers can supply important information on historic migration patterns, amount of gene flow, and breeding systems, and are therefore useful tools to assist in designing and monitoring forest tree conservation programmes.

2. Technologies that enhance vegetative propagation and support large-scale production of uniform materials. Tissue culture of plants under laboratory conditions can also be used to select traits such as disease resistance and tolerance to herbicides, metals, salt and low temperatures. Micropropagation is already used in crop and horticultural species, and techniques exist for its application in a number of forest tree species. High costs are currently an impediment to the direct use of micropropagated material in forestry programmes.

3. Genetic modification of forest trees. Genetic modification of forest tree species has been contemplated for addressing traits such as virus resistance, insect resistance, lignin content and herbicide tolerance. Insertion of genes governing these traits into a new species is a substantial undertaking. The major limiting factor is currently the low level of knowledge regarding the molecular control of traits. This is particularly important for those traits governed by an array of genes, as is the case of characteristics of most interest for production forestry - e.g., growth rate, adaptability, and stem and wood quality. There is no reported commercial production of genetically modified forest trees, although a 1999 study indicated that since 1988 there have been 116 field trials in 17 countries and involving at least 24 tree species. It is acknowledged that biosafety aspects of genetically modified trees need careful consideration, especially because of the long generation time of trees and the potential for dispersal of pollen and seed over long distances.

While the application of new biotechnologies in the forestry sector offers interesting opportunities, especially for genetic conservation and for increased production of wood and other forest products, a cautious case-by-case approach is necessary to integrate these new tools into long-term conservation and breeding programmes. Many issues need to be evaluated more extensively, including their added value compared to existing conventional breeding methods, their cost, the level of capacity-building and resources required to use and maintain them, their potential impact on human health and the environment, existing regulatory and legal considerations at both national and international levels, and preferences of consumers. The FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture, Conference 2, has contributed to providing useful discussions on the issue.

Relevant Documents:

General Documents on Biotechnology in Forestry

FAO. 2001. Forest genomics for conserving adaptive genetic diversity. Paper prepared by Konstantin V. Krutovskii and David B. Neale. Forest Genetic Resources Working Papers, Working Paper FGR/3E (July 2001).

Background Document to Conference 2 of the FAO Biotechnology Forum, entitled "How appropriate are currently available biotechnologies for the forestry sector in developing countries" and which ran from 25 April to 30 June, 2000.

More references

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