Priorities for research on Emerging Species

An analysis of species diversity of the Public Forest Estate in Britain to help inform the future direction of research on species and provenance.

Genetic considerations for provenance choice of native trees under climate change in England

This Research Report provides a review of published results from provenance tests of relevance to English native trees to identify factors which may influence the risk, suitability and desirability of the use of local versus non-local seed under climate change.

UK Forest Genetic Resources Strategy

Forest Genetic Resources Strategy

Cryptic genetic variation and adaptation to waterlogging in Caledonian Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L.

Exposure to a contrasting novel environment such as waterlogging under common garden conditions can trigger release of otherwise unobservable (cryptic) genetic variation. Under a flooding treatment, there was a greater increase in variability in Scots pine populations originating from drier sites in Scotland which likely reflects a relative absence of past selection. Under climate change this cryptic genetic variation may provide considerable potential to adapt.

Conservation of black poplar: insights from a DNA fingerprinting approach

Black poplar is Great Britain’s rarest native hardwood and there is considerable interest in conserving the genetic diversity present in the remaining population. However, multiplication by vegetative propagation has led to issues in identifying and selecting genetically diverse native planting material. The ability to use DNA markers to identify poplars at the level of the […]

Using DNA barcoding and metabarcoding to detect species and improve forest biodiversity monitoring

Growing threats to biodiversity from pressure of land use, climate change, and invasive pests and diseases highlight the importance of obtaining accurate baseline measurements of current forest biodiversity, as well as improved monitoring to detect early signals of change. Developments in molecular techniques have advanced to the stage that there are now practical methods available […]

Sitka spruced

A collaboration between Forest Research, Oxford University and Roslin Institute (University of Edinburgh) which will use DNA-marker technology to identify at a very early age those Sitka spruce trees which will have outstanding growth rate and timber quality when felled 30-years later

Supplying trees in an era of environmental uncertainty: Identifying challenges faced by the forest nursery sector in Great Britain

Paper explores challenges faced by the nursery sector in Great Britain in an era of environmental uncertainty In recent years, there have been many studies exploring the management strategies that might be used to enable our forests to better cope with climate change. However, these seldom take into account the practical and economic implications of implementing […]

The genetic consequences of long term habitat fragmentation on a self-incompatible clonal plant, Linnaea borealis L.

Study finds twinflower in Scotland exhibits genetic effects of chronic population fragmentation Habitat fragmentation is widely thought to contribute to the decline of plant species. In part, this is due to the restriction it places on the flow of genes (which occurs through pollen and seed dispersal) within a plant population, creating sub-populations within which localised […]

Conifer Breeding Co-operative

Co-operative breeding of Sitka spruce to secure planting stock and advancement of the breeding programme.

Genetic conservation – molecular approaches

Forest research is currently exploring the feasibility of establishing meta barcoding in our laboratory to confirm the presence of clones, species and species assemblages.

Genetics of woodland dwelling species

In this project we have utilised existing and developed new microsatellite markers in model species such as wood ants, wood crickets and twinflower to gain insight into the effect of landscape features.