Genetic Considerations for Assisted Migration Efforts: Northern Hardwoods
| Authors: | Carolyn C. Pike |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Type: | Proceedings - Paper |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-P-211-paper57 |
| Source: | In: Kern, Christel C.; Dickinson, Yvette L., eds. Proceedings of the first biennial Northern Hardwood Conference 2021: Bridging science and management for the future. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-211. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 271-274. |
Abstract
Forest managers historically sought locally sourced seed for planting to ensure that future forests were adapted to local conditions. As the climate warms, managers are increasingly seeking seed from more southerly locales. This movement of seed from outside the local seed zone, known as assisted migration, is one of several silvicultural tools being enacted to improve the resilience and adaptation of forests in the future (Williams and Dumroese 2016). A variety of strategies to implement assisted migration have been proposed (Breed et al. 2013, Havens et al. 2015, Potter and Hargrove 2012, Vitt et al. 2010). Genetic considerations can help inform which strategy is most likely to succeed, but resources for northern hardwood trees are scarce. The objective of this presentation is to update managers on existing knowledge from genetics studies related to northern hardwood trees. Secondly, I will describe how to incorporate the Seedlot Selection Tool and the new eastern seed zones (Pike et al. 2020) into an assisted migration plan.