The genomes of forest trees: new frontiers of forest biology

Symposium scope

New genomic technologies are bringing previously intractable but fascinating aspects of forest tree biology to the forefront of plant biology. Completed and ongoing sequencing projects are providing extensive expressed gene and even full genome sequence resources available for tree species from diverse taxa. At the same time, creative applications of genomic and sequencing technologies are producing tools capable of probing the fundamental processes responsible for woody growth and other unique biological processes in trees. Among the most promising but largely unexplored areas of research is the use of comparative evolutionary genomics approaches that can simultaneously illuminate key regulatory processes and how they have evolved over macro- and micro-evolutionary history. For example, the evolutionary innovations leading to the vast array of woody growth forms in extant plants are almost entirely unknown at the genetic level, but could soon be elucidated using comparative genomics approaches.

We will bring together researchers who are exploring the frontiers of tree evolution, ecology, and development using next generation sequencing, genomics, and systems biology approaches. Together, we hope to inspire new ideas for collaborative research that will bring together currently disjoint research communities, and usher in a new era of genome-based forest biology. Ultimately, the approaches and insights from genome-based forest biology will inform us how to address problems ranging from forest conservation during climate change to tailoring of tree-based biofuels feedstocks.

Symposium format

The symposium took place over two days at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. There was dedicated time for discussions, posters, selected poster talks, a conference dinner and a tour of the Arboretum’s collections.

Meeting report

Meeting report for the 35th NPS by Andrew Groover in New Phytologist, Volume 208, Issue 2.

Organising committee

William Friedman, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Boston, USA

Andrew Groover, USDA Forest Service and University of California, Davis, USA