How Research Forests Help Grow Healthier Trees - Seite 2

Once a high-performer has been identified, the whole process goes like this:

• First, we have to get seeds for research studies, which takes 3 to 4 years to produce. This step would take even longer since pinecones aren't produced until a tree is about 7 years old, but through the process of grafting, cuttings from high-performers fuse onto an older tree, which will compel them to produce cones faster. After a successful graft, it still takes a pinecone 18 months to reach maturity. You can learn more about a pinecone's lifecycle in our pinecone collection story.
• Secondly, once seeds are produced, we plant the seeds into the ground to grow the trees. It will take another 4-6 years for the trees to be mature enough to be measured for growth, disease resistance and other traits of interest.
• Third: "With that data you can pick the best families and put them out into a seed production area," David explains. "Then you have another 5-6 years to produce seedlings to go to the nursery. But we're always doing parts of that process every single year. And there's a seed harvest once a year."

With each of these steps constantly in motion, "the improvement is constant," says David, who oversees the entire process-from seed to super-seed.

It takes a village to create the strongest, healthiest trees

Improving trees is a long-term, multi-faceted and precise process that takes a diverse and dedicated team.

"We have five people on Rayonier's staff spread across Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, and everyone gets to be involved to some extent in all aspects of the program, both research and operational seed production," David says. "Three members of the team have a post-graduate specialty in forest genetics."

But it doesn't stop with that small team:

"There are a lot of people who support this work. For example, I'm standing here with a contractor who's learning the ropes on grafting and the process of replicating seed orchard parents to put into production."

There's more labor, too, in producing "operational" seeds that will go to the seedling nursery and then be replanted in forests across the U.S. David says 30-40 contractors help harvest cones, pollinate trees, and do other tasks for the team.

"We also collaborate with a number of universities which have programs coordinating research work across multiple private companies as well as state forestry organizations. Through this we get to work with faculty and students who are educated in the field. It takes a lot of folks!"