ABSTRACT
Forest tree genomics has recently entered an exciting phase of rapid development and discovery. Genomics tools are being developed and applied to understand natural populations of forest trees and to accelerate the domestication and improvement of important forest tree species for human benefit. For many years, there was a perception that forests would continue as an unlimited source of hardwood trees for ecological and economic services. However, pressure on important hardwood species due to overharvesting, lack of harvestable land, pests and pathogens, and imminent climate change has forced a change in dogma from forest management to species management. Individual tree species are now the subjects of in-depth genomic investigations driven by two separate needs, resulting in two branches of forest genomics research. The first need is for support of genetic improvement programs for short-rotation species such as many conifers, eucalypts, and poplars. Genomics technologies will accelerate the development and deployment of breeding populations that satisfy major economic needs for wood products, pulp, fiber, and biofuels. The second need is to develop diagnostic tools for the conservation and management of natural populations. Research toward this goal seeks to decipher the distribution and evolution of adaptive diversity in an ecological and biogeographical context. Research goals of the two branches often overlap, and results from studies in natural populations often provide tools for applied tree breeding programs.
