Trevor Walker

For longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) restoration to be successful, reliable and dependable sources of adapted seedlings are required. Given that 80% of longleaf restoration will occur on private lands, there will be a myriad of objectives for these plantations (e.g. wildlife habitat, timber production, carbon sequestration, aesthetics), and landowners need options for the seedlings they plant. The wide range of the restoration region also requires a diverse genetic pool for seedling adaptability, especially for cold- and drought-hardiness. Regardless of their objectives, landowners have one chance to choose the appropriate genetics when establishing a longleaf plantation. Trees that have been established in range-wide genetic trials can be selected for a multitude of traits to produce progeny with desired attributes. There is a tremendous genetic resource available from the USDA Forest Service, cooperative tree improvement programs, state agencies, and forestry companies in the southern US. Over 50 trials have been established over the last 10 to 40 years designed to test the performance of hundreds of different longleaf pine parents. While trials have been established, and data have been collected and analyzed, no trees have been selected for future use. Without a concerted tree improvement / selection effort, this priceless genetic resource will be lost. We seek funds for a 5-year plan to select trees from across the Southeast to have an adapted population of selections available for new seed orchards. With stakeholder input, we will get consensus on the appropriate emphasis to place on different traits such as disease resistance, stem and wood quality, growth, and leaf production. Selected trees will be grafted into genetic archives and made available to collaborators wishing to establish seed orchards for production of seed to be used in future restoration efforts.

Loblolly pine is the most abundant commercially grown tree species in North Carolina with over 100,000 acres of pine plantations established each year in the state. In addition to the conventional forest products industry, loblolly pine serves as a promising source for renewable energy in the form of woody biomass. Large genetic differences exist for growth, disease resistance, and stem form. By planting genetically superior trees with desirable traits, it may be possible to substantially increase the amount and quality of biomass produced at a given site. The goal of this project is to evaluate different planting stock (families) in combination with different thinning regimes in order to inform forest landowners how best to maximize their returns when supplying both the bioenergy and sawtimber markets. This project was initiated in 2012, with the planting of a high spacing density (1037 trees/acre) long-term field trial in the NC Piedmont. The trial includes 10 of the best Coastal and 10 of the best Piedmont families with varying degrees of adaptation, growth, and wood characteristics. Different thinning regimes will be explored using eight year measurements, and the predicted financial returns from the thinnings as well as projected sawtimber production will be evaluated.