Blog - Genome BC

Forestry Environment

Tree genetics and climate cues can help predict the time of budburst in spring

The time at which plants bud after winter is dependent on three key factors; warming temperatures, longer day length, and genetics. Although a study conducted by UBC and Universit�...

May 17, 2019

Forestry

Scientists are using innovative techniques including DNA tests to detect timber crimes

Nature article discusses how scientists aim to detect the origin of timber through innovative techniques including DNA tests to crack down on illegal trading. Source: Nature ...

April 16, 2019

Forestry Environment

Researchers from the China National GeneBank have sequenced the genomes of 689 plants from the Botanical Gardens in Ruili, in order to improve evolutionary and ecological research in plant species

There are 391,000 known species of plants on Earth, and relatively little is known about their evolutionary history and diversity. Researchers from the Herbarium of China National ...

February 08, 2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Jacques Regad

Forestry

Tackling Climate Change

Globally 11 of the last 12 years rank among the 12 warmest since 1850. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity has led to substantial changes in weather patterns. This tempera...

August 15, 2018

Forestry

Researchers from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry are growing 10,000 blight-resistant trees in New York

For nearly 30 years, researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry have been studying the disease that wiped out four billion Americ...

April 19, 2018

Forestry

Why it’s difficult to scientifically define a tree.

It seems easy to define what trees are, but even at the level of genetics, it’s difficult to find what separates them from other plants. Source: The Atlantic http://ow.ly/s...

April 10, 2018

Forestry Environment

Cockroaches are practically indestructible and this could be thanks to their “long genome.”

Few insects have a reputation for grossing people out as thoroughly as the American cockroach. The so-called water bugs, which thrive indoors on fermenting and rotting foods, are r...

March 27, 2018

Forestry

Could the genetic code of California’s redwood trees be key for their survival?

For the first time, scientists are mapping the coast redwood’s genome, a genetic code 12 times larger than that of a human being. By the end of the year, scientists hope to have ...

February 20, 2018

Forestry Energy

BC’s hot springs could be key player in new biomaterials

Vancouver, BC — BC’s forest products industry faces major challenges due to global competition and the decline in demand for traditional products such as newsprint. At the...

September 12, 2017

Forestry

Planting tomorrow’s trees today: Climate change is threatening the health of Canada’s forests, but revolutionary genomics research will give foresters a way to push back

Vancouver, BC – Traditional methods for reforestation use seeds from local tree populations. With the climate quickly changing, these local trees will be poorly adapted to new e...

February 24, 2017

Forestry

Combatting Invasive Alien Species: Groundbreaking research taking charge of intrusive pests and pathogens

Vancouver, BC – Outbreaks of insects and plant pathogens are threatening Canada’s capacity to provide long-term fibre supply, which is vital to our annual $33-billion forest e...

February 01, 2017

Forestry

Forest technology building better renewable resources

Vancouver, BC – Spruce trees are Canada’s most significant forest resource because they grow in almost every region across the country and are the largest species by the numbe...

January 24, 2017

Forestry

Faster growth times for trees will lead to better economic outputs

Vancouver, BC – Changing climates and climate-induced insect outbreaks are on the rise and they can lead to drought and forest destruction. This threatens both forests and t...

January 10, 2017

Forestry

Forest outputs under threat – genomics research making a difference

Vancouver, BC – British Columbia (BC)’s western redcedar (WRC) industry, currently valued at over $1-billion, is facing a decline because of a shift from old growth to second ...

October 11, 2016

Forestry

Genomics Community Loses a Pioneer

Professor Carl Douglas passed away tragically on Monday, July 25, 2016 in a climbing accident. Professor Douglas was a plant molecular biologist, whose research in tree biology was...

August 11, 2016

Forestry

Protecting Canada’s Forests using Next Generation Biosurveillance

Vancouver, BC – A new $2.43 million research project, funded in part by Genome BC, has been approved to develop state of the art DNA biosurveillance detection tools for operatio...

October 15, 2014

Forestry

Roots of change: More efficient breeding strategies for more durable trees

Vancouver, BC – BC’s forests cover two-thirds of our total landmass and our forests generate more than $11.6 billion in economic activity each year. One of BC’s largest manu...

September 24, 2014