Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) claim to have discovered the genetic make-up of pine and spruce trees that enables them to “fight off pests and disease”, offering protection to millions of hectares of timber.
Professor Joerg Bohimann, who led the research, said that the analysis could permit forest management schemes to “reinforce a forest’s inherent strength” by breeding trees that repel attacks by insects such as the mountain pine beetle.
“We’ve opened the book to understanding how they can survive in one location for thousands of years despite attacks from generations of insects and diseases,” said Prof Bohimann.
“Figuring out how these naturally-occuring defences work has important implications for the long-term sustainability and health of our forests.”
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at the molecular biochemistry of conifers interacting with genomes of bark beetles and their associated fungal pathogens. This found an ability for trees to produce a “complex blend of chemicals that continuously evolve to protect the tree from changing conditions and challenges”.
A recent report from the BC government said that the ongoing mountain pine beetle epidemic could kill 78% of the province’s marketable pine forests by 2015 if left unchecked.
UBC added that the epidemic has already killed around 40% of BC’s pine forests since it first appeared in the mid-90s, a volume of dead timber equating to 530 million telephone poles.
