Research Activities
FER Home : Forest Genetics & Biotechnology : Research Activities
FER engages in cutting-edge forest genetics and biotechnology research that draws on an outstanding faculty, state-of-the-art instrumentation for molecular genetics research, spacious laboratory facilities, global field trial locations and collaborative relationships with a wide variety of international research partners from the academic, public, private and non-profit sectors.
The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources supports an extensive program in forest genetics and biotechnology research. At any one time, dedicated research groups, faculty members and students are pursuing dozens of on-going studies into the basic biological processes that affect the growth rates, health and quality of forest trees. These research efforts form the basis for much of our teaching in this area, while our faculty, students and research partners prize the opportunity to combine a knowledge of molecular biology and biochemistry with an interest in forestry and environmental sciences. They also gain experience in modern laboratory techniques while working to solve practical problems facing forests in the modern world today.
Our major research interests include genetic mapping, biochemistry and molecular biology, genomics and technology development and application. However, our activities cover many different aspects of genetics and biotechnology as these areas apply to forestry — including population, quantitative and conservation genetics; ecological and physiological genetics; tree improvement; and the transfer of identified biotechnologies to forest management. We also contribute our expertise to related research efforts involving agricultural products, soils, pathogens and other areas of study.
Current Research Topics
Currently, members of the forest genetics and biotechnology are pursuing individual and group research projects that center on the following specific areas of interest:
- Genomics of forest trees
- Molecular basis of wood formation
- Forest biotechnology
- Functional genomics in wood formation
- Evolution in woody cell functions
- Regulatory functions of RNA
- RNA interfering
- Tree tissue culture
- Pathology, plant-pathogen interactions and mapping in host and pathogen
- Disease resistance
- Genetic markers
- Conifer tissue culture
- Molecular biology and the biotechnology of cellular biosynthesis
- Cellulose and hemicellulose biosynthesis
- Transcriptional regulation during wood development
- Tissue transformation for tobacco, poplar, spruce, and other tree species
- Vascular differentiation
- Plant hormones
Past Research Efforts
Past research projects have explored an immense array of topics, ranging from the molecular basis of plant development to basic mechanisms controlling adventitious root initiation in pine cuttings; development of rooted-cutting technology for improvement of southern pines; genotype and environment interactions, genetic basis for resistance to fusiform rust disease in loblolly pine; cell wall biochemistry and functional genomics; gene conservation; evolution of tropical and subtropical pines; provenance testing; population genetics; root morphology; Christmas tree genetics; genetic conservation of the Fraser fir; propagation and use of clones in forest tree species; host-pathogen interactions in forest diseases; quantitative genetics; genetic and epigenetic basis of disease resistance of forest trees; molecular biology of cell wall biosynthesis; functional genomics of xylem development, breeding strategy development, genetic data analysis and interpretation; tree physiology and molecular biology genetic effects on nutritional and ecophysiological processes in forest trees; genetic and environmental control of wood properties; genetic engineering in forestry; gene transfer mechanisms in loblolly pine; the developmental biology of trees; tissue culture, gene transfer and molecular biology; and the uses of biotechnology for environmental remediation.
Publications
To access research papers written by graduate students studying forest genetics and biotechnology, please visit the On-line Dissertation Library of the NC State Graduate School.
Cooperative Research Initiatives
In addition to individual research projects pursued by faculty members, FER participates in a number of on-going cooperative research programs conducted with other organizations. A few of our major initiatives appear below.
The NC State University Forest Biotechnology Industrial Research Consortium consists of NC State faculty members and scientists from eleven participating companies located in countries all around the world. The Consortium's mission is to integrate genome technology, metabolic engineering, traditional tree breeding and wood and paper science into a research organization directed to the creation of superior wood as a raw material and as a product. It promotes innovation and advances in forest, wood and paper science using the most advanced forest biotechnology by creating a worldwide industry and academic collaborative platform. Companies and research organizations are welcome to join the Consortium at any time.
Camcore is a non-profit, international program that works for the conservation of tropical and subtropical forest tree species. Camcore works around the world with industry partners to identify threatened species and collect seeds from them for use in conservation and growth studies, assess genetic diversity to improve methods of conservation, evaluate the adaptability of trees to new locations and develop long-term improvement programs for ensuring the sustainability of resources.
Christmas Tree Genetics Program is improving the growth, quality and pest resistance of Christmas tree species important to North Carolina including the Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Eastern white pine and Eastern redcedar. It also screens new species and is conducting genetic conservation efforts for Fraser fir, a globally threatened species.
Cooperative Tree Improvement Program has been active for over 50 years. It seeks to economically increase forest productivity through the genetic manipulation of loblolly pine populations. Its cumulative investment in genetic improvement now exceeds $95 million and its groundbreaking contributions to the forestry industry are extensive.
The Hardwood Research Cooperative was founded in 1963 and conducts and coordinates research that supports ecologically and economically sustainable hardwood forest management on member lands across 13 Southern states using uniform experimental methodology.
