Camcore's Work in Tree Domestication

Concentrated efforts on domestication and breeding of forest trees for improved growth, higher quality wood, and better disease resistance began in the early 1950s.  As might be expected, the earliest programs focused on those species which were well known and had demonstrated utility for plantation forestry.  Almost all forest tree improvement programs began by making selections of large, healthy, and well-formed trees in natural populations.  These selections form the base for all future breeding and testing activities with a species.

Camcore has been involved in domestication and conservation for more than twenty years.  Our mission is gene conservation and domestication of endangered species and populations.  Camcore staff conducts explorations in areas where threatened forest populations exist.  Once populations have been identified, seed collections are made from 20 to 50 mother trees in each population or provenance.  These seeds are distributed to members for the establishment of clonal banks for ex-situ gene conservation, and the establishment of provenance / progeny trials to evaluate the commercial potential of the species in the new (or exotic) environment. 

These genetic trials are measured according to Camcore guidelines, typically at ages 1, 3, 5, and 8 years.  The data are then stored and analyzed by Camcore staff at NC State.  Results of the tests are published in scientific journals.  Tree improvement programs for species with commercial potential are initiated, beginning with the identification of outstanding individuals in excellent families, and followed by the grafting of those selections into clone banks and seed orchards.  Genes and populations from all species are conserved in the conservation banks, with the long-term goal of re-introduction into the native environments when economic and political conditions permit.

Since 1980, Camcore has worked with 36 forest species, conducted seed collections in nearly 400 provenances, and sampled more than 10,000 mother trees.  Although the original focus was primarily on pines from Middle America, other projects have focused on hardwood species such as Pachira quinata from Central and South America, and Eucalyptus urophylla and Gmelina arborea from Asia.  Camcore has established nearly 1000 genetic tests and conservation banks covering 2500 hectares and containing over 7 million trees.