Genetics and Tree Improvement work began in the late 1950s with the establishment of a series of species trials on a variety of sites in Ireland. In the 1960s and 1970s work on provenance (seed origin) testing began first with the commercially important conifers which in the 1980s expanded to include broadleaf species. More recently the selection, testing and breeding of Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine has been the main emphasis of the programme. Attention now has shifted to the large-scale production of genetically improved material of a range of species. In the near future efforts will concentrate on the development of accelerated testing and breeding techniques as well as improvement in traits other than growth and wood production, such as improvement wood properties.

Current research projects within the Coillte Genetics and Tree Improvement Programme include:

Sitka Spruce Breeding Project - includes provenance testing, gene conservation, plus tree selection, progeny testing, flower induction and vegetative propagation of Sitka spruce.

Pine Improvement Project - covers provenance testing, gene conservation and seed production of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Monterey pine (P. radiata), Scots pine (P. sylvestris), bishop pine (P. muricata) and Macedonian pine (P. peuce).

Broadleaf Improvement Project - includes provenance testing, gene conservation, plus tree selection and seed production of oak (Quercus robur and Q. petraea), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), cherry (Prunus avium), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and southern beech (Nothofagus procera and N. obliqua).

Provenance Testing Project - covers the testing of seed sources of a range of minor species including Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), grand fir (Abies grandis), Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), Japanese larch (L. kaempferi), Norway spruce (Picea abies), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Japanese Cedar (Cyrptomeria japonica).

Larch Improvement Project - is based on participation in an EU RTD project titled "Towards a European Larch Wood Chain" which concentrates on the testing of different sources of hybrid larch seed under Irish conditions, the induction of flowering and seed production in an Irish hybrid larch seed orchard and the development of large-scale vegetative propagation methods for hybrid larch.

Noble Fir (Abies procera) Seed Sources for Christmas Tree Production Project - is testing both Irish and imported sources of noble fir to identify the best seed sources for production of Christmas trees under Irish conditions.

Western Red Cedar Improvement Project - includes the identification of good seed sources and superior individuals of WRC and their propagation by vegetative means.

Biotechnology Research - research work supporting the development and improvement of micropropagation methods including both organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis for commercially important species.

Genetics and tree improvement personnel:

Dr. David Thompson, Head of Section

Ms. Fiona Harrington, Research Associate, Biotechnology Laboratory

David Thompson,
Coillte Research Station,
Kilmacurra Park,
Kilbride,
Co. Wicklow,
Ireland

Tel:+353 404 48282
Fax:+353 404 48377
Email:david.thompson@coillte.ie