PROGRESSREPORT OF THECOOPERATIVE FOREST TREEIMPROVEMENTPROGRAM

55th

December 2009

TEXAS FOREST SERVICE

FIFTY-FIFTH

PROGRESS REPORT

OF THE

COOPERATIVE

FOREST TREE IMPROVEMENT

PROGRAM

By

T. D. Byram, L. G. Miller, and E. M. Raley

December 2009

TEXAS FOREST SERVICEa Member of

The Texas A&M University SystemAn Equal Opportunity Employer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 5WESTERN GULF FOREST TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM .......................................................................... 9Highlights .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Seed Orchards .................................................................................................................................................................. 9

OrchardEstablishmentandAcresManaged.................................................................................................................10

OrchardYields..............................................................................................................................................................11

Breeding and Progeny Testing ........................................................................................................................................ 12

TestMeasurementandSecond-GenerationSelectionActivity.....................................................................................12

Second-GenerationLoblollyPineBreedingandTesting..............................................................................................13

SelectionPopulationEstablishmentfortheAdvanced-GenerationandElitePopulations...........................................14

StatusoftheMainlineLoblollyPineBreedingPopulation..........................................................................................14

WoodQualityElitePopulation.....................................................................................................................................16

SlashPine......................................................................................................................................................................16

VirginiaPine.................................................................................................................................................................18

Additional Activities ........................................................................................................................................................ 18

ContactRepresentatives’Meeting.................................................................................................................................18

Seed Orchard Pest Management – Coragen® Efficacy Study ...................................................................................... 19

Conifer Translational Genomics Network Coordinated Agricultural Project (CTGN-CAP) ....................................... 19

Formal Reviews ............................................................................................................................................................ 19

USDA Forest Service Southern Institute of Forest Genetics - Forest Tree Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory .. 20

EvidenceforastructuraldifferencebetweenAmericanandChinesechestnuttreesatthemajor18S-28S

rDNAlocus...................................................................................................................................................................20

HARDWOOD TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM ................................................................................................ 22 Progeny Testing ................................................................................................................................................................22

CherrybarkOak............................................................................................................................................................22

NuttallOak...................................................................................................................................................................23

Sweetgum.....................................................................................................................................................................25

Seed Orchards ................................................................................................................................................................. 25 PERSONNEL .................................................................................................................................................................. 27 PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................ 27 COOPERATIVE TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM MEMBERS ..................................................................... 28 Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Program Membership ................................................................................ 28 PineProgram................................................................................................................................................................28

HardwoodProgram.....................................................................................................................................................28

UrbanTreeImprovementProgram.............................................................................................................................28

FINANCIAL SUPPORT ................................................................................................................................................ 28

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The55thProgressReportoftheCooperativeTreeImprovementProgramisbeingpublishedafterahiatusoftwoyears.Anumberoffactorshavecontributedtothisgap.Duringthisperiodtheprogram,whilecontinuingtomoveaggressivelyintheareaofbreedingandprogenytesting,hasmaturedintoa“businessasusual”modeofselectionandregularorchardreplacement.Retrenchmentwithinthefor-estrycommunitycontinuestotakeitstollonourresourcesandhasmadeitnecessaryforthestafftoconcentrateonpro-gramdelivery.Becauseofoutsidecollaborationonmajorresearchprojects,theProgressReporthasalsobecomelesssignificant for releasing research results. Members continue toreceivereportsthroughourinternalchannelsandProgressReportstothepublicwillbemadeperiodically.

Thehighlightof2007wastheopportunityfortheWesternGulfForestTreeImprovementProgram(WGFTIP)to co-host the first ever joint meeting of the Southern Forest TreeImprovementConferenceandtheWesternForestGe-netics Association. The meeting held June 19-22 in Galves-ton, TX, was attended by 120 participants from 19 US states and11differentnations(Figure1).Featuredspeakers,fromarangeofprofessionalbackgrounds,focusedonregionaldifferencesamongtreeimprovementprograms,novelapplicationsfortreeimprovementtools,andthepotentialresponseoftheforestgeneticscommunitytofuturechal-lenges.Fifty-twovolunteerpaperscoveredtopicsaswidelyvariedasclassicalforestgenetics,ecophysiology,evolution-arybiology,andmoleculargenetics. A significant event in 2008/09 was the establish-ment of the first clonal line trials from the Wood Quality Elitepopulation.Whilemanyofourmembershavebeen

INTRODUCTION

instrumentalindevelopingfamilyandclonalforestryde-ployment strategies, this represented WGFTIP’s first attempt tousethistechnologyasatoolforwithin-familyselection.Theseclonallyreplicatedtrialsshouldimprovetheaccu-racyofwithin-familyselection.Theobjectiveistoidentifyindividuals that combine improved wood specific gravity withgrowthrate,twotraitsthatappeartohaveaslightbutnegativecorrelationinourmainlinebreedingpopulation.Thiswasanoutstandingexampleofleveragingtheeffortsbymanydifferentorganizationstoaccomplishacommongoal.Fiveorganizationsmadethecrossesrepresentedintheseplantings,CellFor,Inc.initiatedthelines,seedlingsweregrownbyoneofourmembersundercontractwithCellFor,andsixmembersestablishedplantings(Figure2).TrialswereestablishedforboththeArkansasandTexasWoodQualityElitepopulations.

Othermajoractivitiesoverthethree-yearperiodcoveredbythisreportcenteredonthecooperative’scontinu-ingresponsetoourmember’schangingexpectationsandcapabilities.Aprimaryexampleofthiswastherestructur-ingofthebreedingpopulationrequiredtoaccommodateInternational Paper Company’s reconfiguration from an integratedforestindustryintoArborGen,LLC,asupplierofgeneticallyimprovedplantingmaterial,andtheelimina-tionoftreeimprovement,seedorchards,andnurseriesbythestateofMississippi.Bothprogramswerelargeandcomplex,supportingmultiplebreedingpopulationsintendedtosupplygeographicallydiverseplantingzones.Overthelastthreeyears,asthecooperativescrambledtoreorganizeone program and close the other we have had to find homes forsomeoutstandingselectionsthatpreviouslybelongedtothesetwoorganizations.

Figure 1. Attendees at the Joint Meeting of the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference and the Western Forest Genetics Association held June 19-22, 2007 in Galveston, TX.

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At the time the WGFTIP was organized in 1969, InternationalPaperCompanymanagedseedorchards,breeding, and progeny testing programs in three of the five statesinouroperatingregion.Overthefollowingthreedecadesthroughmergersandacquisitions,theyacquiredandthenmaintainedthreeadditionalbreedingprogramsthathadpreviouslybeenindependentlyoperated.Asaresult,InternationalPaperCompanyhadthelargestbreedingandprogenytestingprograminthecooperativeandcontrib-utedasubstantialnumberoftestedselectionstoalloftheadvanced-generationorchardsintheregion.Inaddition,InternationalPaperCompany’sSouthArkansasbreedingprogram generated the very first third-cycle selections in the WGFTIP. This level of activity was justified because of downstream profits from increased harvests on company lands and cash flows from outside seedling sales. Outside seedlingsalescouldalsobesubsidizedwhennecessaryastheyensuredacheapandstablesourceofrawmaterialforcompanymills.

Anunpleasantbutundeniablefactisthatnurserysalescaptureonlyafractionofthevalueaddedfromgeneticimprovement,frequentlyleavingotherpartsofthebusinessorpublicfundstocoverthecostsoftreeimprovement.Inrecognitionoftheoperationalconstraintthisplacesonthesizeofthebreedingprogram,thecooperativeoriginallyagreedthatInternationalPaperCompanyshouldconcentratetheireffortsontheirEastTexaspopulation.TheInterna-tionalPaperCompanyNurseryandOrchardbusinesswasthenacquiredbyArborGen,LLCandcombinedwiththeMeadWestvacoprogramontheEastCoasttocreatethelarg-estsupplierofimprovedgeneticmaterialforreforestationintheSouth.ArborGen,LLC,whohadoriginallyjoinedthecooperativeasaSustainingMemberin2006,agreedtosupporttheprogramasaFullMemberbeginningin2007.TheMississippiForestryCommission(MFC),facedwitheconomicconstraintsbroughtonbydecliningsalesfromstatenurseries,optedtoeliminatetheirprogramsfortreeimprovement,seedorchardsandnurseries.

Outcomesfromthesetwosituationsarevastlydifferentforthecooperative.ArborGen,LLCismaintain-ingasizeableproportionoftheEastTexaspopulationthatincludesselectionsfromthreedifferentformercooperativemembers.Furthermore,thisisanimportantpopulationtothecooperativebecauseofitsgrowthrate,wideadaptability,andfusiformrustresistance.Incontrast,theMississippiForestryCommissiondecidedtocompletelyshuttertheirprogram.Theyweretheonlyorganizationinthecoopera-tivegeneratingstatewideperformancedataforthelandown-ersintheMississippideploymentzone.Moreimportantly,thestateprogramfedselectionsintotwoprivateprogramswithintheirbreedingzone,supplementedtheselectionpopulationinanadjacentbreedingzone,andsupportedregionallyimportantprogramsinslashpine,longleafpine,andmultiplehardwoodspecies.

Figure 2. Les Welsh of Deltic Timber Corporation with crosses made to support the Wood Quality Elite program.

Likewise,theMississippiForestryCommissionhadanextensivebreedingandprogenytestingprogramcontributingtotwobreedingpopulationsofloblollypine,aslashpinepopulation,alongleafpineprogram,andhard-woodprogramsforseveraldifferentspecies.Aswithmostpubliclyfundedbreedingprograms,theStateofMississippiwasmotivatedbythedesiretohavethebestplantingmate-rialdistributedaswidelyaspossiblewiththeexpectationthatincreasedforestproductivitywouldservethepublicgoodasaneconomicdriver.Theyalsoviewedimprovementprogramsforminorspeciesasapublicservicetosupportecosystemrestoration.Asiscommonwithmoststates,thetreeimprovementprogramwasultimatelylinkedtoseedlingsalesfromstaterunnurseries.

Figure 3. Robert Whitmire of ArborGen, LLC with grafts of In-ternational Paper Company elite selections that were transferred to the Arkansas Forestry Commission and the Louisiana Depart-ment of Agriculture and Forestry to be archived.

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TheMFClongleaforchardiscurrentlybeingman-agedbytheUSFStosupportecosystemrestorationforthisspecies.TheremainingslashandloblollypineorchardsattheMFCCraigSeedOrchardcomplex,whichhadbeendecimatedbyHurricaneKatrina,wereclearedandarebe-ingconvertedtoanoperationallongleafpinestand.TheimmediatereforestationneedsofthelandownersinMissis-sippiwillbeprovidedforbysurplusseedproductionfromthecurrentcycleofseedorchardsoperatedbyothers.Itisuncertainwhetherfutureadvanced-generationorchardswillhave sufficient capacity to supply all of the state’s land-owners.Theultimatecost,however,willbefeltastherateofgaininalloftheprogramsthattheysupportedthroughtestingandselectionwillbeadverselyaffected.TheMis-sissippiForestryCommission’scontributiontotheregionaltreeimprovementeffortwillbesorelymissed.

kansasForestryCommissionandtheLouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestry(LDAF)suppliedaninvalu-ableservicetothelargertreeimprovementcommunitybyensuringthattheseselectionswerepreserved.TheLoui-sianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestryestablishedtheNorthLouisianapopulationinlong-termscionbankatthedecommissionednurserysitenearOberlin,LA(Figure4).TheArkansasForestryCommissionmaintainedtheselectionsfromSouthArkansasinpotsandseriallygraftedindividualsrepresentedbylownumbers(Figure5).Mostoftheseselectionswillultimatelybeinfusedinseveraldif-ferentbreedingprogramsinbothregions.TheMississippiForestryCommissionprovidedaccesstoscionmaterialforselectionsfromboththeloblollyandslashprogramstootherWGFTIPmembers.CampbellTimberlandManagement,ForestCapitalPartners,theLDAFandPlumCreekTimberCompanyhavegoneaboveandbeyondthecallofdutytocapturethismaterialintheirscionbanks.

TheWGFTIPgermplasmconservationprogramalsosuffered.Becauseofthemassivenumbersofselec-tionsthathadtobetransferredinshortorder,prioritywasgiventopreservingselectionswithknownperformanceorwith progeny tests awaiting evaluation. Some first-genera-tionselectionsrepresentingthewildloblollypopulationthatexistedbeforedomesticationbeganwerelost.

Bothorganizationsattemptedtoensurethatvalu-ablebreedingmaterialwasnotlostbymakinggermplasmavailabletoothermembersoftheWGFTIPbreedingprograms.ThiswasespeciallytrueforInternationalPaperCompanywhowenttogreatlengthstomakesurethatvaluablebreedingmaterialintheSouthArkansasandNorthLouisianapopulationswastransferredtoothermembersofthecooperative.ThroughsomeheroiceffortsonthepartofDanMorrowandBobPurnelllargenumbersofselectionswereprovidedaspottedgrafts(Figure3).Inturn,theAr-

Figure 5. Randy O’Neal with the Arkansas Forestry Commission with some of the serial grafts he completed to help ensure there were adequate numbers of the orphaned International Paper Company South Arkansas population to be distributed to other members.

TheTexasForestService(TFS)alsocloseditsIndianMoundNurserybecauseofdecliningseedlingsales.ThiswasoneoftwonurseriesoperatedbytheTexasForestServiceandprimarilyprovidedbare-rootpineseedlingsforreforestation.TheTFSWestTexasNurseryatIdalounotonlyremainsopenbutwasrecentlyexpandedtoprovideplantingmaterialforwindbreaksandecosystemrestorationprojectsincentralandwestTexas.Despiteclosingthepineseedlingnursery,theTFSistakingaproactiveapproachtotreeimprovement.TheTFSisdoingthisinrecognitionthatthe public tree improvement program continues to benefit

Figure 4. Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry scion bank at Oberlin, LA where selections from the orphaned International Paper Company’s North Louisiana population were archived. This facility was activated and the trickle irriga-tion installed solely for this purpose.

8

thestate’staxpayersbyprovidingcommercialpartnerswithgeneticallyimprovedmaterialthatcaninturnbedeliveredtothelandownersthroughprivatelyoperatedseedorchardsandnurseries.TheTFScontinuestobreedandprogenytesttheproportionoftheEastTexaspopulationforwhichitisresponsible.TheTFSisalsocontinuingtosupportresearchprojects that improve the overall efficiency of private programs.Theseactivitiesincludethedevelopmentofelitebreedingpopulations,developmentofnewbreedingtoolssuchasmolecularmarkers,andtheevaluationofnewpesti-cidesforcontrolofconeandseedinsects.Asanexampleofanactivityinthislastcategory,theTFSorchardwasoneoftwo locations testing the efficacy of a new pesticide in 2009.

OtherdevelopmentsthatimpactedtheWGFTIPmembershipincludedthetransferofforestlandfromTemple-InlandForesttoCampbellTimberlandManagement,LLCandthedivestitureofpapermillsbybothPotlatchLandandLumberandWeyerhaeuserCompany.Asaresultofthesechanges,nomemberofthecooperativecurrentlyoperatesapapermillinourarea.Thisisanastonishingturn

ofeventsgiventhatpapermilloperatorsweretheprimemoversinestablishingthetreeimprovementprograminthe1950s. The long-term significance of this change is unclear, butitwillmostlikelydrivethebreedingprogramtowardfactorsthatimprovestumpagevaluestothelandownerbyloweringproductioncostsandimprovingthemixofhigh-valuesolidwoodproducts.ThewesternGulfCoastoftheUSalsoexperienceditsthirdmajorhurricaneinasmanyyears.NoorchardswerelosttoHurricaneIkein2008,buttreesweredownedandorchardcapacitywasdetrimentallyimpactedineastTexas.

ThecurrentmembershipoftheWGFTIPstandsat13fullmemberswithbreedingandprogenytestingrespon-sibilities.ThisincludesthefourstateforestryagenciesinthestatesofArkansas,Louisiana,Oklahoma,andTexas,andninecommercialoperationsorganizedasintegratedforestindustries(2),realestateinvestmenttrusts(REITs)ortimberinvestmentmanagementorganizations(TIMOs)(5),andregenerationcompanies(2).

9

WESTERN GULF FOREST TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Highlights

• TheWGFTIPhas2,177acresofloblolly,slash,longleaf,andshortleafpineseedorchards,ofwhich1,329 acres are actively managed and 847 acres havebeenmothballed.

• Oftheactivelymanagedorchards,48acresareheavily rogued first-generation loblolly and slash pineorchardsand61acresareminorspeciessuchasshortleafandlongleaf.Theremaining1,220acresareadvanced-generationloblollyandslashpineorchardswithindividualsselectedforprovenperformance.

• Loblollypineharveststotaled6,375poundsofseedin 2007, 16,459 pounds of seed in 2008 and 25,200 pounds of seed in 2009. Slash pine seed harvests were 792 pounds in 2007, 2,031 pounds in 2008 and 2,376 pounds in 2009. Members are self-suffi-cientforimprovedseedandaremanaginginvento-riesbycollectingonlythehighestgainfamilies.

• TheLouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandFor-estrycollected1,672poundsoflongleafpineseedfromtheirseedlingseedorchardin2008and1,176pounds of seed in 2009. The Arkansas Forestry Commissioncollected134poundsofshortleafseedfrom a young four-acre orchard in 2009.

• Inthelastthreeyears,theWGFTIPestablished53plantingsintheprogenytestingprogram.Thisincluded the last three first-generation control-pol-linatedloblollypineprogenytests,22advanced-generationloblollypinepolymixprogenytests,threeadvanced-generationslashpinepolymixtests,fourVirginiapineChristmastreeplantings,eightwoodqualityeliteclonallinetrialsand13loca-tionsofblockplotsfortheselectionpopulation

• Newlyestablishedloblollypineprogenywillevaluate524advanced-generationselectionsfromArkansas/Oklahoma, North Louisiana, and Texas. Theadvanced-generationslashpinetrialswillevaluate34advanced-generationselections.Thecooperativehasprogenytestsestablishedtoevalu-ateacumulativetotalof1,367loblollyandslashpineselectionsor61percentofthecurrentsecondcycleadvanced-generationpopulation.

• FourclonallinetrialswereestablishedforeachoftheArkansasandTexasWoodQualityElitepopula-tions.Thesetrialsaretosupportwithin-familyselectionbyprovidingmultipleobservationsforeachgenotypeindifferentenvironments.

• Overthelastthreeyears,105selectionshavebeenaddedtotheloblollypinesecond-generationselec-tionpopulationand48selectionswereaddedtotheslashpinesecond-generationpopulation.Realign-mentswithinthebreedingpopulationduetoaddi-tionsanddeletionshaveresultedinasecond-cycleadvanced loblolly pine population size of 1,926 (statusnumber=745)acrossfourbreedingzones.The slash pine population stands at 298 (status number=141)forasinglebreedingzone.

• Thethird-cycleadvanced-generationpopulationforloblollypinenowtotals105selections(statusnumber=33)in13differentbreedinggroups.

Seed Orchards

WGFTIPmembershavebeenreducingorchardacreageoverthelastfewyearsinordertobringseedsup-pliesinlinewithlowerseeddemands.Thereareseveralfactorsthathavecontributedtothissituation.Ownershippatternscontinuetobevolatilewithlanddecoupledfrommillsandnon-corelandsfragmentedintosmallerparcels.Pulpmillsarebeingclosedandthepoorhousingmarkethasdrivendownthedemandforsmalllogsusedtomanufactureproductslikeorientedstrandboard.Thesefactors,atleasttemporarily,favorsilviculturalregimesthatplantfeweracres,fewertreesperacre,andmanagestandsoverlongerrotations for higher value end products. The biomass/bio-fuelsmarketrepresentsapotentialcountervailingtrendthatwouldfavorplantingmoretreesperacreandharvestingorthinningonshorterrotationsandwould,therefore,driveanincreaseinseedlingdemand.Thismarketisspeculativeatthemomentandhasnotyethadanimpactonregenera-tionprograms.Whilelongerrotationsforhighervalueproductsorshorterrotationsforbiomasshavetheoppositeeffectonthenumberofseedlingsneeded,eitheroptionputsapremiumongeneticimprovementforproductivity.TheWGFTIPmembersaretryingtobalanceseedlingdemandandtheneedforgeneticqualitywhenprojectingthetotalnumberoforchardacresrequiredandevaluatingpotentialorchardreplacementschedules.

Inordertobetterplanforthefuture,theWGFTIPconductedacarefulprogramwidereviewtodistinguishbetweenorchardsthatarebeingactivelymanagedandthosethathavebeenmothballed.Severaltrendswereapparent.Thenumberoftotalorchardacresreportedbythemem-bershiphasremainedmoreorlessconstantdespitelossofmembershipandaccelerateddecommissioningofolderorchards.Thishasunfortunatelyconcealedthefactthatthenumberoforchardacresunderactivemanagementhasbeenrapidlydecliningsince2004.Thisisinpartduetolowerseeddemands.Butitalsoduetothefactthatmaturing

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advanced-generationorchardshavebeenhighlyproduc-tive.Forthemostpart,theseadvanced-generationorchardblocks,whichwereestablishedonhigh-qualityorchardsites,arelivinguptoexpectationsthattheywouldbeveryproductiveatyoungages.Asecondtrendthatbecameap-parentfromourreviewwasthatseedorchardshavebeenincreasinglydecoupledfromthegeographicownershipsforwhichtheyweredesigned.Thisisatrendthatoffersbothrisksandrewards,butonethatwehaveyettodealwithadequately.

Inresponsetoshort-termovercapacityintheseedlingmarket,twostateorganizationsclosednurseryprogramsandseveralorganizationsmothballedgeneticallyobsoleteorchards.Thereareseveralfactors,however,thatmaycounterlowershorttermdemandsand,infact,promoteanincreaseinseeddemand.Firstandforemost,landown-erscontinuetohavemanyincentivestomaximizegrowthandenhancestandvalue.Aggressiveforestmanagement,includingtheplantingofthebestavailablegeneticscontin-uestobeoneofthemostcosteffectivemeansofmeetingthisgoal.Oneindicationthatlandownersunderstandthisistheincreasedinterestinfull-sibfamilyandclonaldeploy-mentstrategiesthatemphasizesplantingstockvalueratherthancost.Fewerforestlandacresavailableforharvestcouldalsofavormoreaggressiveplantationmanagement.Inaddition,manynationalprioritiessuchasproductionofcel-lulosic ethanol and more efficient carbon cycling also point tomoreaggressivemanagementofcommercialforestland.Southernpineshavearoletoplayinmeetingtheseneedsbecause of their wide adaptability and the fact that flexibility in allocation to final end uses reduces risk and adds value. Inthefaceofthisuncertainty,thecooperativecontinuestoestablishadvancing-frontorchardblocksasthebeststrategyfor meeting the future with maximum flexibility.

OnetrendthattheWGFTIPmembershiphasyettofullyconfrontisthattherapidchangeinlandownershippatternshasresultedinasituationwhereorchardsarein-creasinglydecoupledfromthelandbasetheyweredesignedtosupply.Insomecases,thisisbecausetheseedorchardswerenotpartofthelandtradesandhavebeenseparatedfromaninternalcustomer.Inothercases,thisisbecausemembershaveacquiredlargeacreagesinareaswheretheyhavehadnopreviousownerships.Thedangerinthissitua-tionisthatorganizationswithnocontinuinginternaluseforparticularseedsourceswilldecommissionorfailtoreplaceorchards.Overallseedorchardcapacitywilldecreaseandthenewlandownerswillbeforcedtosettleforlessthanoptimalseedsources.Theopportunityinthissituationisthatatruemarketforseedwilldevelopasorganizationswithoutinternalseedsuppliesmovetopurchaseappropriateseed sources. If prices then more closely reflect value rather thancost,organizationswillhaveincentivestocontinuetoestablishadvanced-generationorchards.Whilethisseemsunlikely, the result would be that the seedling supply/regen-erationsystemwouldgainstabilityandbelessperturbedbyvolatilityinownerships.

Despitethedecreaseinthenumberoforchardacres,theannualdemandforlocalseedusedbythecoopera-tiveremainsbetween20,000and25,000pounds.Producingseedwithoutstandinggeneticqualityinthesequantitiesremainsachallengingtask.Themaximthatthebestseedwillalwaysbeinshortsupplyisstillastruetodayaswhenthe cooperative was first formed.

Orchard Establishment and Acres Managed

Duringthe2007graftingyear57.5acresofloblollypineseedorchard,34acresinsouthArkansasand23.5acresineastTexas,wereestablished.Twenty-twoacresofslashpineseedorchardweregraftedin2007andanadditional12acresofslashpineseedorchardwasestablishedin2008(Figure6).FouracresoflongleafseedproductionareawerealsodevelopedforeastTexas.Noadditionalorchardacreswere established in 2009.

Figure 6. Jim Tule and Glen Herr of Forest Capital Partners, LLC display two successful field grafts in their new orchard.

ThewesternGulfcoastexperiencedthreehurri-canesinasmanyyears,hurricanesKatrinaandRitain2005andHurricaneIkein2008.ThethreestormscollectivelycausedextensivedamagetoorchardcomplexesinMissis-sippi,Louisiana,andTexas.SomeorchardsinTexasweredamagedbybothRitain2005andagainbyIkein2008(Figure7).Stormdamageultimatelycontributedtothede-commissioningofseveralorchards.ThelossofalltheslashpineseedorchardsandtheolderloblollyorchardsattheMississippiForestryCommissionCraigSeedOrchardafterHurricane Rita contributed significantly to their decision todiscontinuetheirnursery,treeimprovement,andseedorchardprograms.Thisresultedinalargelossoforchardcapacity designed specifically to support regeneration in the stateofMississippi.TheoneorchardthatremainsatthiscomplexisthelongleafpineseedlingseedorchardthatwillbemanagedandharvestedbytheUSDAForestServicetosupportlongleafrestorationefforts.Severalotherorchardblocksweremothballedfollowingthestormsalthoughnoothercomplexeswerecompletelyclosed.Olderorchardblockswithlessgeneticgainarebeingclosedastheyarereplacedbymaturingadvanced-generationorchardblocks.

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As of 2009, the WGFTIP has 2,177 acres of orchard, but only 1,329 acres are under active management. The847acresoforchardsthathavebeenmothballedcouldbereactivatedifdemandforseedsuddenlyincreased,butthiswouldbeatacostofgenerallylowergeneticimprove-ment. Of active orchards, 48 acres are rogued first-genera-tionloblollyandslashpineorchards,61acresareminorspeciessuchaslongleafandshortleafand1,220acresareadvanced-generationloblollyandslashpineseedorchards(Figure8).Themembersofthecooperativehavecollec-tivelytargetedaproductiongoalof300millionseedlingsper year. This goal can be met with 1,329 acres of mature orchard,butnotwithadvanced-generationorchardsundera five-year replacement/expansion cycle as implemented bythecooperative.Thisimpliesthatthetargetedgoalsareoverstatedandthatactualseedharvestsmoreaccuratelyreflect needs.

ofactualdemandplussomeadditionalallowancetoreplacepreviously depleted seed inventories. The 2009 cone cropwasexcellent,allowingmost,ifnotall,memberstoselectivelyharvestonlytheirbestfamilies.

Figure 7. One of the hardest hit orchard blocks at the ArborGen, LLC Livingston Seed Orchard after Hurricane Ike.

Orchard Acres

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Figure 8. Seed orchard acres managed by the cooperative.

Orchard Yields

Loblollypineseedharvesttotaled6,375poundsin 2007, 16,459 pounds in 2008 and 25,200 pounds in 2009 (Figure 9). These totals are well below the 30,000 pounds peryearthattheprogramhashistoricallybeendesignedtosupport. The 2009 harvest year is probably more indicative

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Figure 9. Pounds of seed harvested by the cooperative from 1994 to 2009.

Loblolly pine seed yields were 1.09 pounds of seed perbushelin2007,1.32poundsofseedperbushelin2008,and 1.37 pounds of seed per bushel in 2009. ArborGen, LLCheldtherecordforthebestloblollypineyieldin2007and2008achieving1.46poundsperbushelin2007and1.61pounds per bushel in 2008. In 2009, ArborGen, LLC had theorchardwiththehighestyieldat1.66poundsofseedperbushelwhileHancockForestManagementhadthehighestyieldingorchardcomplexat1.61poundsofseedperbushel.Theseyieldswereachievedwithlargeconecropsandrepresentedoutstandinginsectcontrolandconehandlingprocedures.

Slash pine seed harvest was 792 pounds in 2007, 2,100 pounds in 2008 and 2,375 pounds in 2009. Slash pine,whileregionallyimportant,iscurrentlyaminorcrop for the cooperative with only five organizations havingoperationalorchards.Inthelastthreeyears,onlyfourorganizationscollectedseedforthisspecies.Yieldsaveraged 0.89 pounds of seed per bushel in 2007, 1.03 poundsofseedperbushelin2008,and1.07poundsofseedper bushel in 2009. ArborGen, LLC set the high mark in 2007withayieldof1.0poundsofseedperbushelwhileCampbellTimberlandManagementachieved1.23poundsofseedperbushelin2008and1.20poundsofseedperbushelin 2009.

WiththelossoftheMississippiForestryCommission,theonlyremainingmemberwithalongleafpineseedlingseedorchardinproductionistheLouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestry.TheLDAFdidnotharvestthisorchardin2007becauseofapoorconecrop.However,theycollected1,672poundsofseedwithanaverageyieldof1.03poundsofseedperbushelin2008and 1,176 pounds of seed with an average yield of 0.93 pounds of seed per bushel in 2009. This 30-acre orchard wasestablishedwithseedlingsfromfamiliesoriginatingprimarilyinthewesternGulfregionthathadoutstanding

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survival,grassstageemergence,andbrownspotresistanceinshort-termevaluations.Itwaslaterroguedon10-yeargrowthperformanceinaseriesoflong-termprogenytestsandtheremainingfamilieswerethinnedtothebesttreeperplot.

Breeding and Progeny Testing Oneofthecontinuingsuccessstoriesofthecoop-erativeistherateatwhichadvanced-generationpolymixprogeny tests are being established. In 2006/07 and 2008/09 plantingseasons,thecooperativeestablishedsevenloblollypinetestseriesconsistingof22separatelocations.Theseplantingswillevaluate524advanced-generationselectionswithapproximately63,000testseedlings.Inaddition,threeslashpineadvanced-generationpolymixplantingswereplanted in 2008/09 to evaluate 34 advanced-generation selectionsforthisspecies.Todate,1,367loblollyandslashpineselectionsor61percentofthesecond-cyclepopulationhas been established in polymix field trials for growth and formevaluation.Theselectionpopulationforthethird-cyclewasfurtheraugmentedwiththeestablishmentof13loca-tionseachcontainingmultipleblockplots.

step,thecooperativehasbeenabletoleverageindividualcontributionstomakesustainedprogressattheregionallevel. Supplementaltothemainlinebreedingandprog-enytestingprogram,fourlinetrialsfromeachoftwoWoodQualityElitepopulationsweregrowninthegreenhousefor planting in 2008/09. These tests will evaluate 208 lines from8differentcrossestosupportwithin-familyselection.

Test Measurement and Second-Generation Selection Activity

Atotalof71progenytestswereevaluatedduringthe 2006/07 measurement season. Fourteen plantings were 5 years old and evaluated for the first time. Thirty-three plantingswere10yearsofageorolderandrepresentedareevaluationofresultsfromapreviousmeasurementcycle.Ten of the older tests were statistically significance for the first time and, therefore, contributed new information. This occurredprimarilyinslashpinetestswithlowrustinfectionlevels at age five. As rust related mortality developing after age five contributes significantly to family rankings for this species,rustfreeslashpineprogenytestsarenotincludedin the growth database until age 10. The 2006/07 measure-ment season provided first-time evaluations on 51 slash pine parents and 89 loblolly parents.

Similarnumbersofprogenytestswereevaluatedin the 2007/08 measurement season. A total of 75 progeny tests were measured, including 17 first-year survivals, seven (7) three-year height evaluations, 13 five-year growth and formevaluationsand36oldergrowthevaluations.Thesetests provided new information on a total of 70 first-genera-tion parents from five different breeding groups and 39 slash pineparentsfromfourdifferentbreedinggroups.

In 2008/09, the cooperative was scheduled to evaluate52progenytestsandtwo(2)setsofblockplotsforthird-cycle selection. This included 12 five-year-old plant-ings(fourcontrol-pollinatedplantingsandeightadvanced-generationpolymixplantings),14age-10control-pollinatedplantings,and17teststhatwere15and20yearsofage.Only41oftheseplantingswereactuallymeasured.Noneofthefour20-year-oldtestsweremeasuredandtestmeasure-ments were delayed for two five-year-old tests, two 10-year-oldtests,andtwo15-year-oldtests.Alloftheolderteststhatwerenotevaluatedhadbeenpreviouslymeasuredandwerealreadyinthedatabasewithevaluationstakenatearlierages. The two five-year-old tests that were not measured wereslashpineplantingswithlessthan30percentrustandwouldnothavebeenincludedinthefamilysummariesuntiltheyreachage10.Intheseparticularcases,postponingtestmeasurementcouldbedonewithlittleornolossofdata.However, these delays reflect the larger problem that coop-erativemembershavehadtoprioritizetestmeasurementschedulestoaccommodatecontinuedbudgetconstraints.

Figure 10. Keith Byrd of ArborGen, LLC helps the TFS crew sow the East Texas loblolly polymix test series grown in the College Station greenhouse in 2008. This test series included families belonging to all four members operating in the breeding zone.

Thislevelofactivityispossibleonlybecauseoftheoutstandingcollaborationoftheentiremembership(Fig-ure10).Eachmemberisresponsibleforhelpingcollectthepollentocreatetheregionalpolymixandthenbreedingtheselectionsbelongingtothebreedinggroupstheyown.Seedisconsolidatedbyregions,oneorganizationtakesrespon-sibilityforgreenhouseproductionoftestseedlings,andmultiple organizations establish field locations. In general, noorganizationestablishesmorethanonelocationpertestseriessothetestingloadoneachcooperatorisminimized.Becausetherearemultipleorganizationsinvolvedateach

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Second-Generation Loblolly Pine Breeding and Testing

NineoftheWGFTIP’s13memberswereinvolvedin progeny test establishment in 2007/08 and every member contributedeithercontrol-pollinatedseed,greenhousespace,and/or established field trials in 2008/09. This combined effortresultedintheestablishmentofeightdifferenttestseriescomprisedof22loblollypineprogenytestsandthreeslashpineprogenytests.Theloblollypineprogenytestsestablished for breeding programs in Arkansas/Oklahoma, NorthLouisiana,andTexaswillevaluate524advanced-generationselections.Theslashpinebreedingprogramestablishedthreeprogenyteststoevaluate34advanced-gen-eration selections. A sufficient number of advanced-genera-tionprogenytestshavebeenestablishedtoevaluate1,361loblollyandslashselectionsor61percentofthecurrentlyidentified advanced-generation populations.

In 2007/08 the cooperative established two test series in Arkansas evaluating 140 parents and the first ever advanced-generationpolymixtestseriesfortheNorthLoui-sianabreedingzoneevaluating102parents.Thiseffortusedallofthepolymixseedtheninhandforthosetwobreedingregions.Becausethe2006control-pollinationseasonwasso successful, a sufficient number of crosses were collected inthefallof2007tofollowupwithanotheroutstandingplanting season in 2008/09. In 2008/09 planting season, two Arkansasserieswereestablishedtoevaluate121families(Figure13).Inaddition,asecondroundofadvanced-gener-ationtestswasplantedintheNorthLouisianabreedingzoneevaluating56families.Asaresultofthiseffort,halfofthecurrently identified North Louisiana advanced-generation breeding population was established in field trials in a two yearperiod.AnadditionaltestserieswasplantedinTexastoevaluate105families.

Figure 11. Larry Miller of the cooperative staff identifies a sec-ond-generation selection.

The 12 five-year-old tests evaluated provided new information on 41 first-generation loblolly pine parents and added a total of 19 second-generation selections to the program.

The first-generation progeny testing program continuestoprovidesecond-generationselectionstorecon-stitutethepopulationforthenextcycleofadvanced-genera-tionbreeding(Figure11).Thesenewestselectionswillnotimpactcurrentorchardestablishmentplans,whichrelyonprogenytestedmaterial.Theyare,however,absolutelyes-sentialtothelong-termviabilityofthebreedingprogrambykeepingreasonableeffectivepopulationsizesandaddingtothenumberofunrelatedbreedinggroupsinthepopulation.In 2006/07, 38 loblolly and 15 slash pine second-generation selections were identified. In 2007/08, 23 loblolly pine and 33 slash pine second-generation selections were identified. This year, 2008/09, there were an additional 44 loblolly pine advanced-generationselectionsadded.Actualnumbersofindividuals in the advanced-generation program reflect both the addition of the best first-generation parents moved for-wardtobereusedandthedeletionofsomeuntestedselec-tionsmadenecessarytoaccommodatereorganizationwithinthecooperativemembership.Thesecond-cyclepopulationsnow consist of 1,926 loblolly and 298 slash pine selections (Figure12).

Second-Generation Selections

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Loblolly Slash Total

Figure 12. Cumulative number of WGFTIP second-generation selections.

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Theslashpinebreedingprogramiscurrentlysup-ported by four members in the South Louisiana/Southeast Texasdeploymentzone.TwoofthesemembersarethestatesofTexasandLouisianawhoservethenonindustrialforestlandownerandtwoarecommercialinterestswithextensive holdings in the coastal flatwoods. Breeding for thisspecieshasreceivedlesssupportoverthelastfewyearsbecausearelativelysmallnumberoftreesareusedinthecooperative’sregenerationprogram.Nevertheless,thecooperativerecognizesthatslashprovidestheonlyviablealternative to loblolly on many of the phosphorous-defi-cient, poorly drained, flatwoods sites in the lower coastal plainandarecommittedtothecontinueddevelopmentofanadvanced-generationpopulationoffastgrowing,rustresistantsources.Tosupportthisgoal,atestseriestoevaluate34advanced-generationparentswasestablishedin2008/09. A sufficient number of advanced-generation tests have now been planted to evaluate 75 of the 298 advanced-generationselectionsforthisspecies.Inaddition,extraseedcreatedwithasusceptiblepolymixarebeingbankedforeventualsubmissiontotheUSDAForestServiceResis-tanceScreeningCenter.Thisextrascreeningisnecessarybecauseweatherconditionshavecontributedtolowdiseaseincidenceoverthelastfewyears.Asaresult,manyoftheseselections come from plantings that were insufficiently challengedbytherustpathogentoallowresistancetobeadequatelyevaluated.

Selection Population Establishment for the Advanced-Generation and Elite Populations

Onceevaluatedinpolymixtests,crossesaremadewithinbreedinggroups(pedigreecrosses)toformtheselec-tionpopulationfromwhichthird-cycleselectionswillbemade.Theseselectionsinturnwillbeevaluatedinpolymixtestsforgrowthandform.Thewinnerswillsupportfuturedeploymentpopulationsandbecrossedtocreatethenext

cycleforselections.Simultaneously,crossesarealsomadeamongthebestindividualsacrosspairedbreedinggroups(superbreedinggroups)andselectionsfromthispopulationfollowingpolymixevaluationwillbeusedinthedeploy-mentpopulation.

In 2007/08 22 selection blocks were established in southArkansasbytheArkansasForestryCommissionandPotlatchLandandLumber.Ofthese,18wereformainlineadvanced-generationselectionwhilefourwillcontributetotheelitesuperbreedinggroupdeploymentpopulation.In2008/09, 25 additional control-pollinated crosses to sup-porttheselectionpopulationwereestablishedbyArkan-sasForestryCommissionandOklahomaDepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandForestry.Theselectionpopulationintheseblockplotsincludescrossesforthemainlinebreed-ingpopulation(crosseswithinbreedinggroups),crossesforthesuperbreedinggroups(crossesamongparentsfrompairedbreedinggroups),andthewoodqualityelite(crossesfromthebestparentsintheregionselectedforwoodqualityregardlessofbreedinggroup).Tofurthercomplicatetherecordkeeping,someoftheseselectionplotsbelongtomorethanonecategory.

Status of the Mainline Loblolly Pine Breeding Population

TheWGFTIPloblollypinebreedingpopulationwasoriginallysubdividedinto116breedinggroupswithinfive different breeding zones. The intent was to reconsti-tutethispopulationateachcyclebyselecting18ormoreindividualsfromcrossesmadeamongparentswithineachgroup. To date, selections have been made in 91 groups (Figure 14). Of these, 59 breeding groups have 18 or more selectionsandareconsideredtobereconstitutedforthenextroundofbreeding.Anadditional21breedinggroupshaveten(10)ormoreselectionsandarewellonthewaytobeingreconstituted.Oftheoriginal116breedinggroups,eighthavebeenabandonedbecausetheylackedmaterialof sufficient quality to promote to the next generation and selectionshavenotyetbeenstartedin12morebreedinggroups.FourgroupsinNorthMississippinolongerhaveanownerwiththewithdrawaloftheMississippiForestryCommissionandthebestselectionswillbeinfusedinothergroups.Theprocessisunderwaytoredistributeseveralad-ditionalgroupspreviouslybelongingtoInternationalPaperCompanytootherorganizationsasinfusionsintoexistinggroups.Itisanticipatedthatthisconsolidationwillresultina second-cycle population of between 80 and 90 breeding groupsdistributedoveratotaloffourbreedingzones.

Thesizeandstructureoftheadvanced-generationbreedingpopulationwillultimatelydeterminetheamountofgeneticvariationavailabletothebreedingprogram.Withinaclosedbreedingpopulationwithnofutureinfusions,relat-ednessandinbreedingwillincreasewithinbreedinggroups.Therefore,thenumberofbreedinggroupsthatsupporta

Figure 13. Jimmy Dale Camp and French Wynne with Potlatch Forest Holdings, Inc. with one of the new Arkansas/Oklahoma polymix progeny test series.

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deploymentpopulationultimatelydetermineshowmanyun-relatedindividualsareavailableforopen-pollinatedorcharddesign.TheCensusNumberistheactualcountofindi-vidualsthatneedtobepreservedandtestedand,therefore,reflects the true workload. The Status Number measures effectivepopulationsizeorthenumberofindividualsthatwouldhavethesamediversityinanidealized“wild”orrandommatingpopulation.RelativeStatusNumberistheratioofStatusNumbertoCensusNumberandisusefultocomparetrendsacrosspopulationsofdifferentsizes.TheseparametersareshowninTable1.

At the breeding group level, these numbers reflect howfastinbreedingisbuildingwithinthebreedingpopula-tion. This indirectly indicates how difficult future breeding is likely to be as loblolly pine expresses significant inbreed-

ingdepressionandlowerviabilityinrelatedcrosses.TheaverageCensusNumberacrossallsecond-cyclebreedinggroupsis21.4withanaverageStatusNumberof8.7.

At the population level, these numbers reflect the rateatwhichdiversityisbeinglostacrossthepopulation.TheWGFTIPpopulationwasselectedtobemuchlargerthansimulationstudiesindicatenecessary.Thiswasdonebecausemultipletraitsneedtobeimprovedsimultaneouslyandtherewaslittleknowledgeabouthowthesetraitswouldrespondtoselection.Anunintendedconsequenceofhav-ingsuchalargepopulationisthatinbreedingwillbemucheasiertomanageforanumberofgenerations.Thesecond-cycle Census Number is 1,926 with a Status Number of 745. TheRelativeStatusNumberis0.38.

Breeding Groups

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er BGSecond Cycle > 10 SelectsSecond Cycle >18 Selects

Figure 14. The number of completed breeding groups in each region showing the groups nearing completion with ten or more selections and the fully reconstituted groups with 18 or more selections.

Table 1. The number of Breeding Groups (BG) and average Census Number, Status Number and Relative Sta-tus Number by breeding region for the current second-cycle and third-cycle populations.

BreedingZoneSecondCycle AR TX NLA S LA/S MS NMS TotalNo.ofBGs 32 23 18 14 4 91 Census No./BG 22.9 23.9 19.4 16.3 16.5 21.4 Status No./BG 8.5 9.0 7.8 7.2 6.6 8.7TotalCensusNo. 734 549 349 228 66 1926TotalStatusNo. 271 208 140 100 26 745Rel.StatusNo. 0.38

ThirdCycleNo.ofBGs 10 3 13TotalCensusNo. 82 23 105TotalStatusNo. 25 8.2 33.5Rel.StatusNo. 0.32

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Third-cycleselectionsarebeingmadeinpedi-greecrossesestablishedinblockplots.Selectionsfromtwo breeding zones, South Arkansas and South Louisiana/South Mississippi, have currently been identified. One-hundred and five (105) individuals with a Status Number of33.5havebeenselectedin13breedinggroups(Table1).Selectioneffortsinthreeofthesebreedinggroups,twofromSouthArkansasandonefromSouthLouisiana,havebeencompleted.Itistooearlyinthethird-cycleselectionprocesstoaccuratelycomparechangesininbreedinglevelsacrossgenerations.However,itispossibletogetsomeideaoftrendsbycomparingtheaveragesforthesecond-cyclebreedinggroupstotheaveragesforthethreethird-cyclegroupsforwhichselectionhasbeencompleted.AverageCensusNumberandStatusNumberinthesecondcycleare21.4and8.7,respectively.Inthethird-cyclethesesamepopulationparametersare21.3and6.2(Figure15).Rela-tivestatusnumberhasgonefrom0.38inthesecond-cycleto0.29 in the third-cycle. This decline cannot be avoided in a closedbreedingpopulation.Itcanbecontrolledbychang-ingtherelativeemphasisonfamilyselectionbyinclud-ingmoreparentsinthepedigree.AsdesirabletraitsarecombinedineliteindividualsitmaybepossibletoreduceCensusNumbersmorerapidly,butdoingsowillcontributetoamorerapidlydecliningStatusNumbers.Havingthisinformationwillfacilitatetrackingrelativesinadvancedgenerations.Thecooperativewillcontinuetomonitorthepopulationstructureandmakeadjustmentsasneededtoensurethatthefuturecontrol-pollinatedcrossingprogramissuccessful.

selection. To date, 19 block plots have been established and Potlatch Land and Lumber identified the first two advanced-generationselectionsforthispopulationfromafour-year-oldsetofplots.Inadditiontoidentifyingcandidateswithgoodgrowthandform,theselectionprocessiscomplicatedbytheneedtosamplewoodcorestosimultaneouslyevalu-ate wood specific gravity. These selections will be grafted, crossedwithpolymixpollen,andestablishedingrowthandformprogenytests.ThewinnerswillbeusedtosupportthedeploymentpopulationandusedforfurtherbreedingintheWood Quality Elite population. In 2008/09 the Texas Forest Serviceestablishedseedlingsineightadditionalblockplotsforthispopulation.TheOklahomaDepartmentofAgricul-ture,FoodandForestrygrewseedlingsintheirgreenhousefor another 12 crosses for field planting in east Texas and south Mississippi during the 2009/10 planting season.

AuniquecomponentoftheWoodQualityElitepopulationisthecollaborationwithCellFor,Inc.touseclonaltestingasabasisforselectingindividualswithincontrol-pollinatedfamilies.Coneletsfromten(10)differentcrossesweresubmittedtoCellFor,Inc.fortheinitialroundofthisproject.Followinglineinitiationandpropaguledevelopment,CampbellTimberlandManagementproducedthetestseedlingsandeightdifferentmembersestablishedclonal field trials. Trials, comprised of six replications of single-treeplots,wereestablishedintwobreedingzones:SouthArkansasandEastTexas.Atotalof125lineswillbeevaluatedintheArkansastrialsand75linesevaluatedintheEastTexastrials.Theexpectationisthathavingmultipleobservationsongeneticallyidenticalindividualsovermul-tiplelocationswillallowamuchmoreaccurateevaluationofphenotypesandpredictionofgenotypes.Thiscouldbeespeciallyvaluableinsimultaneouslyimprovingalowheri-tability trait like volume and specific gravity which appears tohavelittleornocorrelationwithgrowthatthepopulationlevel.

EarlyindicationsarethattheTexasserieswillhavetobedroppedduetomortalitycausedbydroughtycondi-tions experienced by much of southeast Texas/southwest Louisiana early in the spring of 2009. This is an unfortunate lossoftimeandinvestment,butunlikeprogenytestsestab-lishedwithseedlings,thisisnotalossofplantmaterial.Alloftheselinesarestoredincryopreservationandsomaticembryogenesiscanbeusedtogenerategeneticallyidenticalseedlingsforfuturetesting.Itisanticipatedthattheselineswillbeaddedtothecrossescollectedforlineinitiationinthesummerof2010.

Slash Pine

The first advanced-generation polymix tests in the slashpineprogramreachedagetenin2007andtheanalysesofthedatabroughtinterestingandunexpectedresults.Thesystem developed for summarizing performance in first-generationprogenytestspredictsbreedingvalueforplantedtreevolumeatbaseage15bygivingdifferentweightsto

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CENSUSSTATUS

Figure 15. Average Census and Status numbers for the second generation and reconstituted third-generation breeding groups.

Wood Quality Elite Population

TheWoodQualityElitepopulationwascreatedtorapidlyimprovebothgrowthrateandwoodqualityinselectionstosupportthedeploymentpopulation.Backwardselectionhasbeenusedtoidentify62individualsfromfourdifferentbreedingzonesthatcombinehighbreedingvaluesforthesetraits.Crossesarebeingplantedinblockplotsfor

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differenttraitsatdifferentmeasurementages(38thProg-ress Report). Breeding value estimates for five-year-old treesarebasedsolelyonrustinfectionlevels.Progenytestresultsarenotincludedinourdatasummaryunlesstherearesignificant differences among families for infection levels and the planting shows evidence of having been sufficiently challenged(30percentormoreinfectioninthestandortheunimprovedchecklot).Infectionlevelsareusedbecauserustrelatedmortalitybetweentheagesof5and10impactfamilyperformanceatage15morethananytraitorcombi-nationoftraitswehaveyetevaluated.Atageten,breed-ingvalueestimatesforvolumeatage15arebasedonthetargettraitofvolumeperformanceonaplantedtreebasis.Survivalincorporatesrustrelatedmortality,butheightanddiametergrowtharealsoimportant.Becausebreedingvalueestimatesarebasedonadifferentsuiteoftraitsatdiffer-entages,itisnotunusualtoseemoreshiftinginbreedingvalue estimates between ages five and ten in slash pine than normallyobservedinloblollypine.Breedingvaluesforslashpinecanalsobelargerthanthosereportedforloblollybecausehighrustsusceptibilitycanresultinverylowvol-umes.

Wefullyexpectedthesamesetofequationsthathad been so useful in the first generation to work for the ad-vanced-generationprogenytestingaswell.However,breed-ingvalueestimatesbetweenthetopandbottomperformersintheten-year-oldpolymixprogenytestsexhibitedhugeranges,insomecaseswithspreadsnearing200percentagepoints.Thesedifferenceswerenotsupportedbyobservedsurvival or growth differences in the field and it seemed mostlikelythattheywereanartifactofthepredictiveequa-tions.Thissituationcouldresultbecause1)selectionhasbeen successful and the first and second generations repre-sentdifferentpopulationswithdifferentgeneticparameters,2)theenvironmenthaschangedmakingrustresistancelessimportant,or3)acombinationofbothgeneticselectionandtemporarychangesinpathogenicityofthefungusmediatedbychangesintheenvironment.

Current first-generation slash pine data summaries predictbreedingvaluesforaveragefamilyvolumeandthevarianceamongfamiliesforvolumeatbaseage15.Thesedifferencesarethenstandardizedandexpressedasapercentimprovementinvolumegrowth.Intheseformulasrustinfection,eitherexpresseddirectlyorincombinationwithmortality,isaprimarycontributortoamongfamilyvarianceatage15forvolume.Thedatasetfromwhichtheoriginalformulasweredevelopedconsistedof14progenytests,allwithextremelyhighrustinfectionlevels.Theslashpineparents contributing to the later first-generation progeny tests,aswellasalloftheparentsforthesecond-genera-tionpopulation,haveallbeenscreenedforresistanceattheUSDAForestServiceResistanceScreeningCenter(RSC).Inaddition,mostoftheyoungerslashpineprogenytests,withtheexceptionofthoseplantedinsouthernMississippi,havehadverylowrustinfectionlevels.

Toinvestigatethecombinedimpactofthesefac-tors,allavailabledatawithrepeatedmeasurementsthroughage15werereanalyzedusingthesamemethodologyreportedinthe38thProgressReport.Theresultswereanewsetofformulas(Table2)that1)raisedthepredictedstandlevelvolumeatage15becauseofanincreaseinsiteindexand2)loweredthepredictedvarianceamongfamilymeansforvolume.Theimpactofthesetwochangeswasthatwhenslashpinebreedingvalueswerestandardizedandexpressedasapercent,theywereslightlylowerthanpreviouslyreport-edandtherangesfromthebesttotheworstfamilieswerereduced.Breedingvalueestimatesforslashpinearenowmuchmoreinlinewiththosereportedforloblollypineandmore reflective of the growth performance actually observed inthemorerecentlyestablishedslashpineprogenytests.

Allslashpinedatasetswerereanalyzedusingthenewpredictiveequations.Familyperformancesummarieswerecompletedinearly2008andtheSlashPineCatalogdistributedtothemembersmid-year.

Table 2. Predictive equations used in the slash pine data summarization programs. Original equations developed in 1983 and subsequently recalculated using all available data in 2008 with major changes bolded.

Trait Age Original Equation R2 New Equation R2

SiteIndex(SI) 5 37.695 + 5.805*HT5 0.82** 40.161 + 5.498*HT5 0.78**10 26.886 + 3.624*HT10 0.64** 27.388 + 3.657*HT10 0.78**15 0.930 + 4.334*HT15 0.99** 1.988 + 4.262*HT15 0.99**

Volume 5 -12.780 + 0.255*SI + 0.103*SUR5 0.74** -15.349 + 0.240*SI + 0.127*SUR5 0.68**10 -15.043 + 0.277*SI + 0.102*SUR10 0.82** -13.943 + 0.283*SI + 0.090*SUR10 0.57**15 -17.992 + 0.337*SI + 0.108*SUR15 0.88** -15.386 + 0.320*SI + 0.090*SUR15 0.65**

STVOL+ 5 -6.777 + 0.151*SI 0.71** -5.776 + 0.107*SI +0.030*PR5 0.66**10 -9.883 + 0.268*PR10 0.83** 7.110– 0.064*SUR10 0.71**15 -9.883 + 0.268*PR10 0.83** 5.410– 0.047*SUR15 0.64**

+=standarddeviationoffamilymeanvolumes** = significant F-value at the 10 percent level of probability (α=0.10)Abbreviations:HTx=meanplantationheightatagex SURx=meanplantationsurvivalatagex PRx=meanplantationrustinfectionatagex

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Virginia Pine

DatacollectioncontinuesonthefewremainingyoungVirginia pine polymix tests. At ages four to five tests are evaluatedforgrowthandscoredforChristmastreemarket-ability. The best individuals identified to date are currently beinggraftedbytheTexasForestService.

Additional Activities

Contact Representatives’ Meetings

TheprimarypurposeoftheWGFTIPContactRepresentatives’meetingsistechnologytransfer.Topicsarechosenthatrelatetotreeimprovement,forestmanagementorthelargersocioeconomiccontextinwhichtreebreed-ingparticipates.Thesemeetingsalsoserveasachancetonetworkandvisitothermember’soperations.

In2007theOklahomaDepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandForestryhostedtheContactMeetinginIdabel,Oklahoma.Topicscoveredduringtheindoorsessionsincludedmigrantworkerissues(DanBremer–AgWorks,Inc.),seedproductiontechnology(Dr.DavidSouth–Au-burnUniversity),populationgenomicsandtreeimprove-ment(Dr.KostyaKrutovsky–TAMU)andanupdateoftheseedorchardchemicalresiduestudywasgivenbyDr.BobKrieger(UC-Riverside).ToursstopsincludedtheODAFFseedprocessingandgreenhousefacilitiesandatouroftheForestHeritageMuseumnearBrokenBow.Attendeesreceived7SAFCategoryICFEcredits(Figure16).

tipmothcontrolinprogenytests(Dr.DonGrosman–TFS).Attendeeswereawarded10SAFcategoryICFEcredits.

In 2009, the Contact Meeting was in Monroe, LA. Presentationsatthismeetingincludedcoldtoleranteucalyp-tus (Dr. Mike Cunningham – ArborGen), wood gasification (Dr.LesGroom–USDAForestService),stateassessments(Dr.BradBarber–TFS),hardwoodresearch(Dr.RandyRousseau-MississippiStateUniversity),regenerationresearch(Dr.MichaelBlazier–LouisianaStateUniver-sity),pesticides(Dr.DonGrosman–TFS)andherbicides(Dr.AndyEzell–MississippiStateUniversity).Multiplesessionsweredevotedtothepotentialformarker-assistedbreeding.ThesetalkswerepresentedbyDr.DaveHarry(OregonStateUniversity)aspartofthetrainingmadeavail-abletothecooperativethroughparticipationintheConiferTranslationalGenomicsNetworkCoordinatedAgriculturalProject(CTGN-CAP).Thisresearchprogram,targetedatmakingtheuseofmolecularmarkersarealityinappliedtreeimprovementprograms,issupportedbytheUSDANationalInstituteforFoodandAgriculture(NIFA,formerlyCSREES)andtheUSDAForestService.Attendeesearned8SAFcategoryICFEcredits.

TheeveningsocialprovidedanopportunityforthemembershiptowishLarryMillerwellinhisretirementfromtheWGFTIP.Larryhasbeenanintegralpartofthestaffsince2001afteralongcareerwithTemple-Inland.Priortomoving to Texas in 1976, he had worked for Weyerhaeuser’s regenerationprograminWashingtonState.Themember-ship benefited from Larry’s extensive knowledge of applied treeimprovementandnurseryoperations(Figure18).

Figure 16. Attendees at the 2007 Contact Representatives’ Meet-ing held at the Oklahoma Forest Heritage Center, Beavers Bend State Park (Photo courtesy of Al Myatt).

The2008ContactMeetingwashostedbytheWGFTIPinCollegeStation,TXandincludedsitevisitstotheUSDASouthernResearchStationPecanGermplasmRe-pository(Figure17),theUSDAForestServiceCytogeneticsLaboratory and WGFTIP offices and greenhouse facili-ties.Topicscoveredduringtheindoorsessionsincludedloblollypineconservation(Dr.BillDvorak–CAMCORE),Americanchestnutpreservation(Dr.NurulFaridi–USDAForestService),carboncredits(BurlCarraway–TFS),and

Figure 17. Drs. Tommy Thompson and L.J. Grauke host the field trip for the 2008 Contact Representatives’ Meeting at the USDA Southern Research Station Pecan Germplasm Repository.

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Seed Orchard Pest Management – Coragen® Efficacy Study

TheTexasForestServiceprovidedoneoftwoorchards used in 2009 to evaluate the efficacy of Coragen®1forthecontrolofconewormsandseedbugs.ThisstudywasdoneincooperationwithDr.DonGrosmanoftheTexasForestServiceandDr.AlexManginioftheUSDAForestService.ConeandconeletsurvivalsweretalliedinCoragen®treatedtreesandcomparedtoanequalnumberofconesandconeletsinuntreatedcontrolsfromthesameclones.Treatmentconsistedoffourapplicationsatconcen-trationsconsistentwithcurrentlylabeledrates.IdenticalstudydesignswereusedintheTFSorchardatMagnoliaSpringsandinthestudyinstalledbyDr.ManginiinthePlumCreekHebronOrchard.

Coragen®(Rynaxypyr®)hasprovenhighlyef-fectiveagainstLepidopteraspp.onanumberofvegetablecrops.Ithasanovelmodeofactionthatisnarrowlytar-getedtomothsandrelatedspecies,hasverylowmammaliantoxicity,anditsuserequiresveryfewsafetyprecautions.Unfortunately, the efficacy against coneworms was less than satisfactory.WhilethepercentageofconesatMagnoliaSpringsthatwereclearlydamagedbyconewormswasre-duced, the percentage of cones classified as healthy did not improve.Overbothorchards,therewerenodifferencesforthe percentage of cones classified as coneworm damaged, otherdamage,orhealthy.Seedbugdamagewasnottalliedas the hope had been to find a chemical effective against coneworms.

Whiletheresultsofthisstudyweredisappointing,ithighlightedtheneedtohaveorchardsandcrewsavail-abletoconductthistypeofresearch.Iforchardmanagersdependedsolelyonresultfromothercrops,thischemicalwouldhaveappearedverypromisingindeed.Actuallosesunderoperationalconditionswhereseedyieldsnaturallyfluctuate are difficult to document and anecdotal at best. As aresult,severalseedcropsmighthavebeenjeopardizedbeforethismistakecouldberecognizedandcorrected.1MentionoftradenamesissolelytoidentifymaterialanddoesnotimplyendorsementbytheTexasForestServiceortheWesternGulfForestTreeImprovementProgram,nordoesitimplythatthediscussedusehasbeenregistered.

Conifer Translational Genomics Network Co-ordinated Agricultural Project (CTGN-CAP)

TheWGFTIPalongwiththetreeimprovementpro-gramsatNCStateUniversity,UniversityofFlorida,OregonStateUniversity,andresearchprogramsatUCDavisandtheUSDAForestServiceSouthernInstituteofForestGenet-icsareparticipatinginaprogramaimedtobringmolecularmarkerstoappliedtreebreeding.ThisprogramisfundedbytheUSDANationalInstituteforFoodandAgriculture(NIFA,formerlyCSREES)andtheUSDAForestService.

TheoverallmethodologyistogenotypeasmanytreesaspossibleforcommonlyoccurringSNPs(singlenucleotidepolymorphisms)derivedfromalibraryofexpressedgenes.Thetreeimprovementprogramsaresup-plyingtheplantmaterialandperformanceevaluations,UCDavisisextractingtheDNAandcontractingthegenotyping.OregonStateUniversityisprovidingtheoreticalsupportandishostingtheoutreachcomponentoftheproject.Eachor-ganizationhasitsownresearchplanandwillmakeauniquecontributiontotheoverallproject.TheWGFTIProleistocharacterizeamultiple-generationbreedingpopulationfromasinglebreedingzoneascompletelyaspossible.Inthefirst two years, 2,000 foliage samples representing the East Texasbreedingpopulationwerecollectedandsubmittedforgenotyping. This included both first- and second-genera-tionselections.Inaddition,progenyfromseparategroupsofgenotypedparentsweresampledinacontrol-pollinatedprogenytestandaclonallyreplicatedlinetrial.Objectivesaretocharacterizestructureinthebreedingpopulationandhowthisstructureischangingovergenerations.Marker-traitassociationswillbeevaluatedandalternativesforusingthisinformationintheappliedtreebreedingprogramwillbeproposed.

Formal Reviews

FormalReviewsservethedualpurposeofbench-markingindividualprogramswhileprovidingfeedbacktothestaffonmemberneeds.Thisprocesshasbeeninvalu-ableasthecooperativehasstruggledtostayabreastoftheemergingprioritiesintherapidlychangingbusinessenvironment.ReviewswereheldfortheArkansasForestryCommission,theOklahomaDepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandForestry,andPotlatchLandandLumberin2007.FormalreviewswerealsoonthedocketforArborGen,LLCandtheTexasForestService,butwerepostponedtoallowinternalreorganizationswithineachentitytobecompleted.In2008,FormalReviewswereheldforCampbellTimber-landManagement,DelticTimberCorporationandForestCapitalPartners,LLC.CellFor,Inc.andWeyerhaeuserCompany programs were reviewed in 2009. Future seed or-chardexpansionplansdominatedthesediscussionsbecauseoftheuncertaintiesinthelandownerships,changesinsilvi-culturalpractices,andunpredictabledemandsforplantingmaterial.

Figure 18. Larry Miller at the reception held in honor of his retirement from the WGFTIP cooperative.

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USDA Forest Service Southern Institute of Forest Genetics - Forest Tree Molecular

Cytogenetics Laboratory

Evidence for a structural difference between American and Chinese chestnut trees at the major 18S-28S rDNA locus

Contributedby:NurulIslam-Faridi2,C.DanaNelson3,PaulH.Sisco4ThomasL.Kubisiak3,FrederickV.Hebard5,Rob-ertL.Paris5andRonaldL.Phillips6

TheAmericanchestnuttree(Castanea dentata),once known as “The King of the Forest”, after flourishing some40millionyearsinmuchofeasternNorthAmericaisnolongeradominantforesttreeduetothechestnutblightdisease,incitedbyanexotic,invasivefungus(Cryphonec-tria parasitica).Thefunguswasaccidentallyintroducedinthelate1800sonJapanesechestnutnurserystockandstemcankers were first reported in 1904, killing the American chestnuttreesintheBronxZoo,NewYorkCity.Nocontrolattempts(e.g.,chemicaltreatments,clearingandburningoftreesaroundinfectedareas)weresuccessfulinprotectingthetrees.Inthefollowingyears,thediseasewasreportedin neighboring states, and by the late 1920s, the disease wasspreadthroughouttheentirenaturalrangeofAmericanchestnut. By 1950, almost the whole species was decimated bythefungus,exceptforsproutsoriginatingatthetrees’rootcollarandpossiblyadvanceregeneration.

In the 1920-1940s the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture(USDA)andtheConnecticutAgriculturalExperimentStation(CAES)attemptedtorestoretheAmericanchestnutbycrossingtheAsianchestnuts(ChineseandJapanese)ontoAmerican,buttheireffortswerelargelyunsuccessful.Themainreasonwasthattheydidnothavebasicinformationontheinheritanceofblightresistance,leadingtoaclosureoftheUSDAprogram.TheCAESprogramwassuspended,forthe most part, in 1963, but resumed in the 1980s. In 1983, agroupofprominentscientistsledbyDr.CharlesBurnhamandDr.DavidFrenchandinterestedlaypersons,ledbyMr.PhillipRutter,establishedTheAmericanChestnutFounda-tion(TACF)withagoaltorestoreAmericanchestnuttoitsnativerangeusinginterspeciesbackcrossbreeding.Inthisbreedingmethod,blightresistancegenesfromChinesechestnutaretransferredintoAmericanchestnutbymultiplegenerations of crossing and selection (Burnham et al. 1986). Wide crosses, such as interspecific hybrids, often uncover significant structural differences between the parental spe-cies’chromosomes,andpreviousgeneticmappingwork(Kubisiak et al. 1997, Sisco et al. 2005) suggested this might alsobethecaseforthesetwospecies.Topursuethisques-tion more definitively, we formed a collaborative team to studythecytologyandcytogeneticsofchestnut.

Florescentin situ hybridization(FISH)isapower-ful cytogenetic tool used to visualize gene(s)/marker(s) di-rectlyonchromosomes.Wefoundthatchestnuthastwo18SrDNAsites(i.e.,loci)locatedontwodifferentpairsofho-mologous chromosomes (Figure 19a). One of the sites has morerDNAsequencecomparedwiththeotherasrevealed

Figure 19. FISH with rDNA probes on metaphase chromosome spreads in chestnut; a) FISH with 18S rDNA (green signals) and 5S rDNA (red signals) probes in American chestnut, b) FISH with 18S rDNA probe in American chestnut (AC) X Chinese chestnut F1 hybrid. Figure 19. FISH with rDNA probes on metaphase chromosome spreads in chestnut; a) FISH with 18S rDNA (green signals) and 5S rDNA (red signals) probes in American chestnut, b) FISH with 18S rDNA probe in American chestnut (AC) X Chinese chestnut F1 hybrid.

2U.S.ForestService,SouthernInstituteofForestGenetics,ForestTreeMolecularCytogeneticsLaboratory,DepartmentofEcosystemScienceandManagement,TexasA&MUniversity,CollegeStation,TX77843.3U.S.ForestService,SouthernInstituteofForestGenetics,HarrisonExperimental Forest, 23332 Old Mississippi 67, Saucier, MS 39574. 4TheAmericanChestnutFoundation,160-DZillicoaStreet,Asheville,NC28801.5MeadowviewResearchFarms,TheAmericanChestnutFoundation,14005GlenbrookAvenueMeadowview,VA24361.6DepartmentofAgronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, 411 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN 55108

21

byamuchstrongerFISHsignal.One5SrDNAsitewasidentified in chestnut, and it is located on a third chromo-some pair (Figure 19a). As expected, telomere probe signals wereobservedattheendofeachchromosomearm.Anad-ditionalearlyresultofthisresearchsuggeststhatthemajor18SrDNAchromosomeofChinesechestnutisstructurallydifferentthanitshomologouschromosomeinAmericanchestnutinthatitcontainsalongersegmentdistaltothe18SrDNA signal (Figure 19b). Ongoing research will specify thechromosomalstructuraldifferencesbetweenthesetwospeciesandguidetreebreedersandgeneticengineersintheireffortstoproduceblight-resistantAmericanchestnutsthatarecapableoflivingandreproducinginthewild.

ReferencesBurnham, C.R., Rutter, P.A., and French, D.W. 1986.

Breedingblightresistantchestnuts.PlantBreedingReviews 4:347-397.

Kubisiak,T.L.,Hebard,F.V.,Nelson,C.D.,Zhang,J.,Bernatzky,R.,Huang,H.,Anagnostakis,S.L.,andDoudrick, R.L. 1997. Molecular mapping of resis-tance to blight in an interspecific cross in the genus Castanea. Phytopathology 87:751-759.

Sisco,P.H.,Kubisiak,T.L.,Casasoli,M.,Barreneche,T.,Kremer,A.,Clark,C.,Sederoff,R.,Hebard,F.,andVillani,F.2005.AnimprovedgeneticmapforCastanea mollissima/Castanea dentataanditsrelationshiptothegeneticmapofCastanea sativa.Acta Horticulturae 693:491-495.

22

HARDWOOD TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Hardwoodsaregettingalotmorepresslatelywith the promotion of biomass/biofuels. For the most part, however, these markets have not yet developed sufficiently toimpactourmembers’reforestationprograms.Untiltheydo,theWGFTIP–Hardwoodcooperativewillcontinuetoconcentrateonevaluatingandestablishingorchardsforvariousoakspeciesusedfortimber,wetlandrestoration,andwildlifehabitat.Thecooperativealsohasselectionsfromanumberoffastgrowing,welladaptedspeciesthataresuitableforshortrotationmanagementshouldtheneedarise(Table3).

Cherrybark Oak

Cherrybarkoak(Quercuspagoda Raf.)isanout-standingsourceofqualityredoaktimber.Ontheappropri-atesiteitcanbeveryproductive,easilyexceeding100feetinheight.Itfavorsthebetterdrainedhardwoodbottomsandisfrequentlyfoundonridgesandolderalluviumwithinthemajor river drainages. The cooperative originally identified 237parentsforthisspeciesandevaluatedopen-pollinatedfamiliesinreplicatedprogenytests.Sixty-twosecond-generationcherrybarkoakselectionsfromthebestfamilieswerethengraftedintoadvanced-generationorchardsman-agedbytheArkansasForestryCommissionandtheTexasForestService.

Table 3. Summary of the WGFTIP – Hardwood progeny testing and selection effort by species.

Species ProgenyTests Parents Sec.GenSelections SecGenSelectionsinProgenyTests

GreenAsh 21 234 70Sweetgum 16 295 84 37Sycamore 23 280 61 12CherrybarkOak 40 237 62 56Water/Willow Oak 21 208 21YellowPoplar 8 61 12NuttallOak 22 210 5Total 151 1,525 315 105

Progeny Testing

TheWGFTIP–Hardwoodcooperativehasthirty-twoactiveprogenytests.Sevenoftheseareyoungcherry-barkprogenytestsintendedtoevaluateandrogueadvanced-generationorchardsforthisspecies.Olderplantingsinclude22Nuttalloakprogenytestsbeingusedtoselectparentsforneworchards,twoadvanced-generationprogenytestsforsweetgumandoneadvanced-generationprogenytestforsycamore.

Seedwascollectedfromatotalof56orchardparents in 2006/07 and 2007/08. Two series of progeny tests wereplantedinatotalofsevenlocations,eachdesignedasrandomizedcompleteblockswith30replicationsofsingle-treeplots.Theremainingsixparentsthatwerenotincludedinthesetestswererepresentedbyalimitednumberofor-chard ramets and did not produce sufficient seed for testing. Theywillnotbeevaluatedandwilleventuallyberemovedfromtheorchards.

Table 4. Mean first-year survival and range among family means for first-year survival in the advanced-generation cher-rybark oak progeny tests.

YearPlantedCooperator - County/Parish, State

Survival(%)

AmongFamilySignificance Level

RangeamongFamilyMeans(%)

2007/08 Series 638AFC-Pulaski,AR 95.6 ns 82-100MFC–Tallahatchie,MS 92.3 Pr>F=0.001 77-100TFS–Jasper,TX 98.0 ns 90-100LFSC/LDAF – Rapides, LA 97.7 ns 90-100

2008/09 Series 639AFCPulaski,AR 98.6 ns 93-100MFC–Tallahatchie,MS 99.7 ns 97-100

TFS–Jasper,TX 71.3 ns 60-83

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First-yearsurvivalswereoutstandingforallplant-ings with the exception of the TFS Series 639 planting locationinJasperCo.,TX.Survivalatthislocationwas71percentwhilesurvivalsattheothersixlocationswereall above 90 percent (Table 4). This test, planted at the MagnoliaSpringsSeedOrchardcomplexonpartofthesitethatwastoowetforpineseedorchards,isnotabottomlandsite.Establishmentsurvivalamongfamiliesdifferedatonlyonelocation,indicatingthatevaluationscanbebasedonsubsequentsurvivalandgrowth.Ultimately,thisinforma-tionwillbeusedtoeliminatethepoorerperformingparentsintheseorchardsresultinginthecreationofwellevaluatedseedsourceforthisimportantspecies.

Nuttall Oak7

Nuttalloak(Q. texana Buckl.formallyQ.nuttal-lii Palmer)isaredoakwithanaturalrangerestrictedtothebottomlandsoftheGulfCoastalPlainofthesouthernUS(Figure 20, Filer 1990). It is the most tolerant of the red oakspeciestoheavy,poorlydrained,alluvialclaysoilsandis,therefore,favoredforbottomlandplanting.Itexhibitsgoodsurvivalonarangeofsites,isrelativelyfastgrowing,produces high quality sawtimber, and is beneficial to wild-lifeproducinglargeacorncropsatyoungages.Likemostoaks,itisshadeintolerantandplantingopenareasfollow-ingharvestingisaviablemethodofstandrestoration.TheWGFTIP–Hardwoodmemberscollectedseedfrom210individuals,preservedtheparentsinscionbanks,andareestablishingseedorchardswithbackwardselectionsfromthebestoftheprogenytestedparents.

FiveNuttalloaktestserieswereestablished,eachcomprisedofadifferentsetoffamilies.Alltestserieswereplantedasrandomizedcompleteblockswithtenreplicationsoffour-treerowplots.Height,diameter,andsurvivalweremeasured at five-year intervals. As nothing was previ-ouslyknownaboutgeographicvariationwithinthespecies,selectionswereorganizedintoprovenancesorseedsourceswithintherangeprimarilydelineatedbyriverdrainagesforanalysis(Figure21,Table5).Geographicdifferenceswereanalyzedtoinformdecisionsonwildseedcollectionwhileamong-family differences were quantified to guide orchard establishment.

Previous analysis from the first three test series measuredthroughagetenindicatedthatprovenanceeffectsweremoderateatbest.However,wildseedcollectedto-wardthecenteroftherange(northernLouisianaorsouthernArkansas)shouldbefavoredwhenpurchasingwildseedforuseinthecentralMississippiDelta(northernLouisiana,southArkansasandadjacentareasinMississippi).Thebet-terperformingprovenancestendedtobefromtheOuachitaandRedRiverbasinswhilethepoorerprovenancestendedtobefromtheWesternRegion.ItshouldbenotedthatsourcesfromAlabamaandsouthernLouisianawerenotincludedinthisevaluation.Therewerealsooutstandingparentsfromalloftheprovenancesregardlessoftheaverageperformancefortheseedsource.

All five test series have now been measured through age ten and the first series has been measured throughage15(Table6).AstheWGFTIP-Hardwoodmembersestablishseedorchardsfromindividualselec-

Figure 20. Natural distribution of Quercustexana Buckl. (formally Q.nuttallii Palmer) (Filer 1990).

7SeeByram,T.D.,E.M.Raley,andD.P.Gwaze.2007.PerformanceofNuttalloak(Quercus texanaBuckl.)provenancesatage10intheWestern Gulf Region. Proc. 29th S For Tree Imp. Conf.: Joint Meeting of the Western Forest Genetics Association and the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee, Galveston, TX, June 19-22. pp. 28-38.

24

tions,anumberofquestionsneedtobeanswered.Howmuchgaincouldbeexpectedfromselectingthetopparentsforinclusioninthenewseedorchards?Howreliableareperformanceestimatesacrossdifferentsites?Howearlycanselections be identified? To answer these questions, volume perlivetreewasanalyzedwithASREML®,individualheritabilitiesestimated,andgainscalculated.SitetositevariationinperformancewasestimatedwithTypebgeneticcorrelationsandage-ageadditivegeneticcorrelationswerecalculatedforSeries1.

tions.Separatedeploymentzonesforaminorspeciesarealsoeconomicallyprohibitive.Therefore,thecooperativehasadoptedthesecondstrategyofhavingasinglebroadlybaseddeploymentpopulation.Thisassumesthatwhilesometreesmayperformpoorlywhenoffsite,thestandvaluewillbenearoptimalbecausebetteradaptedneighbors

Table 5. The number of open-pollinated families rep-resenting each provenance by test series

TestSeriesProvenance 1 2 3 4 5 Total

1 WesternRegion 15 3 12 2 32

2 Black-WhiteRivers 20 5 13 38 76

3 OuachitaRiver 6 2 6 18 10 424 MississippiRiver 12 3 4 9 2 305 RedRiver 12 1 13

6 Tallahatchie–Yalobusha 8 3 11

Other 6 6

1

5

3

2

4

6

Figure 21. County/Parish locations of families used in the study are: Western Region (Provenance 1), Black -White Rivers (Prov-enance 2), Ouachita River (Provenance 3), Mississippi River (Provenance 4), Red River (Provenance 5) and Tallahatchie-Yalo-busha Rivers (Provenance 6).

Table 6. Fifteen-year means and ranges among family averages for Nuttall oak Series 631 by planting.

Cooperator–County,State

Survival(%)

Height(m)

Diameter(cm)

Volume(dm3/

plantedtree)

MFCSharkey,MS

8048-95

10.28.8-11.3

13.310.5-14.8

41.618.9-60.4

AFCLonoke,AR

9070-100

12.110.9-12.9

14.211.0-17.3

62.034.6-98.3

PotlatchDehsa,AR

7248-92

10.18.9-11.1

11.39.3-12.7

29.313.8-41.6

Individual-treeheritabilitiesforlivetreevolumerangedfrom0.03to0.88whencalculatedonatestbytestbasis.Combiningtestswithinaserieswhichincorporatessitetositevariationproducedestimatesthatrangedfrom0.08to0.51(Table7).ThelowestcombinedheritabilityestimatewasfromatestsserieswhichincludesahighlyvariabletestinMississippi(individualh2=0.03).Removingthistestraisedthecombinedheritabilityestimateto0.15.Thenumericalaverageforheritabilityacrosstestserieswasmoderate(h2= 0.29). Type b genetic correlations which reflect the amount of agreement across locations varied from0.43to0.76.Typebgeneticcorrelationsinthisrangeareconsideredmoderateandindicatethatselectionswillperformwithreasonablepredictabilityacrosssites.LowtomoderateTypebcorrelationssuggestthateitherdifferentdeploymentpopulationsshouldbedesignedfordifferentsites or a sufficient number of families should be included inasingledeploymentpopulationtominimizeriskoflessthanoptimalsiteassignment.Asthefactorscausingthesitetositevariationinthisstudyarenotunderstood,itwouldbeimpossibletowiselydesignmultipledeploymentpopula-

Table 7. Age-10 heritabilities, Type b correlations and standard errors for volume from five Nuttall oak progeny test series. Gain is predicted change in volume growth ex-pected from selecting the top 20 percent of the population.

Series Cooperator h2±S.D.Typebcorr.

±S.D.

Gain(%)

631MFC 0.25±0.08AFC 0.62±0.14Potlatch 0.12±0.05Combined 0.16±0.06 0.43±0.12 14.0

632MFC 0.82±0.20AFC 0.37±0.12Potlatch 0.64±0.17Combined 0.38±0.11 0.76± 0.09 31.2

633MFC 0.35±0.10AFC 0.49 ±0.12Potlatch 0.42±0.11Combined 0.24±0.07 0.60±0.11 29.0

634MFC 0.03±0.04AFC 0.38±0.10TEF 0.42±0.11Combined 0.08±0.04 0.36±0.16Combined(AFC&TEF) 0.15±0.06 0.59 ±0.20 18.0

635MFC 0.88±0.15AFC 0.56±0.12Combined 0.52±0.11 0.73±0.08 35.2

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will fill in the available growing space. An additional factor isthatTypebcorrelationsareapopulationparameteranditispossibletoselectindividualswithstableperformanceoverarangeofsites.

Gainestimatesbasedonthesepopulationparam-etersindicatethatselectingthetop20percentoftheparentsforinclusioninseedorchardsshouldproduceseedlingsthatperform~25percentbetterthanunimprovedplantingstockforlivetreevolume.Thiswilladdconsiderablevaluetoplantingsestablishedwiththisstock.

Thesecondquestionthatwehopedtoanswerwashowearlyinthetestingprocesscouldweidentifyoutstand-ingperformers?Age-agegeneticcorrelationsshowedgoodagreementbetweenages5and15.Theagreementbetweenages10and15,however,wasalmostperfect(Table8).Theorchardsforthisspecieswillbebasedonage10data.

Resultsfromthissinglelocationshowednomeaningfuldif-ferencesinsurvivalorgrowthrateforperformancebetweeneasternandwesternseedsources.

Table 8. Age-age genetic correlations for Nuttall Oak test series 631.

Age 10 155 0.80 0.7010 0.97

Sweetgum

Severalyearsago,theWGFTIP-Hardwoodcoop-erativeandNCStateHardwoodCooperativejoinedforcestoevaluatetheirsecond-generationsweetgum(Liquidambar styracifluaL.)selections.FamiliesfrombothprogramsweregrownbytheNCStateCooperativeandmultipletestlocationswereestablishedacrosstheSouth.TheArkansasForestryCommissionandTemple-InlandForestsplantedonetesteachinthewesterngulfregion.BothofthesetestshavelargeamountsofenvironmentalvariationcausedbyanofftargetherbicideapplicationattheTemple-InlandlocationanddrainageproblemsthatdevelopedbelowalargefarmpondattheArkansaslocation.Becauseoftheseproblemsneithersitehasgivenunambiguousresults.

TheArkansasForestryCommissionrecentlycompletedtheten-yearevaluationonthe130familiesinthe test located in Lonoke County, AR (Table 9). Excessive environmentalvariationandpatchysurvivalproblemshavemade it necessary to drop19 replications from the original 35established.Whentheremaining16replicationswereanalyzed, there were no significant family differences at ei-therage5orage10forvolumeproduction.However,thereappear to be some trends emerging. There were significant differencesamongfamiliesforsurvivalatage10andthedifferencesamongfamiliesforheightwasverynearlyso(Pr> F = 0.12). Interestingly, the significance level for differ-encesamongfamiliesforvolumeproductionhasimprovedfromaPr>F=0.82atage5toaPR>F=0.12atage10forthesamecohortoftrees.Ifthistrendcontinues,itwouldappearthatgeneticdifferenceswilleventuallybecomeapparentdespitetheconsiderableenvironmentalnoise.

Table 9. Age-10 averages for the Arkansas Forestry Commission second-generation sweetgum progeny test in Lonoke Co., AR

Survival(%)

Height(m)

Dbh(cm)

Volume(dm3)

TestAve. 65.8 7.4 9.1 11.8FamilyRange 37-94 6.4-9.1 7.5-11.0 5.1-18.9

Seed Orchards

Arkansas,Louisiana,Texas,andtheLouisianaForestSeedCompanyaretakingtheleadinestablishingimprovedseedsourcesforanumberofdifferenthard-woodspecies.TheArkansasForestryCommissionandtheLouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestrysupplyseedlingsforreforestation,wetlandrestoration,andwildlifehabitatforbottomlandsitesassociatedanumberofmajorriverdrainages.WhiletheMississippiRiveristhemostfamous, the region also includes many other very signifi-cantriversandswampswithextensivebottomlandforests.AmongtheseriversaretheArkansas,theWhite,theOua-chita,theRedandtheAtchafalayaalongwithmanysmallerriversandstreams.Whilemostoftheactualhardwoodplantingisintheseriverdrainages,uplandhardwoodsalsomakeupaconsiderableportionoftheforestsinallofthestatesparticipatinginthecooperative.

Figure 22. Van Hicks with the Louisiana Department of Agri-culture and Forestry checking inventories in their baldcypress orchard at Monroe, LA.

26

TheArkansasForestryCommissionbeganes-tablishingwhatwilleventuallybean18-acreNuttalloakorchardadjacenttotheBaucumNurserynearLittleRock,AR in 2006. In the first year they established 147 positions ona40by40footspacing(5.4acres).In2008theyaddedanother 105 positions or 3.8 acres to fill half of the available area.Inthatsameyeartheyalsoplanted42positionsinawateroak(Q. nigra)orchardand31positionstoawillowoak(Q. phellos)orchard.Asecond-generationcherrybarkorchardisalreadyinproductionatthislocation.TheLoui-sianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestrycontinuestobeaggressiveinestablishinghardwoodseedorchardsatanumberoftheirfacilities(Figure22).Theycurrentlyhaveorchardsforsweetgum,baldcypress(Taxodium distichum),Nuttalloak,wateroak,willowoak,liveoak(Q. virginiana)sycamore(Platanus occidentalis),greenash(Fraxinus pennsylvanica),andcherrybarkoak.TheLouisianaForestSeedCompany,anotherkeyplayerintheproductionofim-provedhardwoodseed,isaggressivelydevelopingimprovedseedsourcesforgreenashandcherrybarkoak.TheTexasForestServicehas41acresofhardwoodseedorchardsfor

Table 10. Hardwood orchards managed by the Texas Forest Service for the Urban Tree Improvement Program and for the TFS/WGFTIP reforestation program.

Species AcresUrban Baldcypress 2.7

BurOak 1.6CedarElm 2.2ChinkapinOak 1.0LiveOak 6.0Magnolia 1.6ShumardOak 4.5Sweetgum 3.8

WGFTIP/TFS CherrybarkOak 2.7GreenAsh 5.3NuttallOak 1.4Sweetgum 3.4Sycamore 2.2Water /Willow Oak 2.1

boththestate’sUrbanTreeImprovementProgramandfortimberspeciesdevelopedaspartoftheWGFTIP(Table10).The Texas Forest Service expanded this list in 2009/10 by planting114positionsinanewNuttalloakseedorchard.

Joe Hernandez and Larry Miller retired from the Texas Forest Service and the Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Programs in 2009.

27

PERSONNEL TheTexasForestServicetreeimprovementpro-gram was fully staffed in 2007 for the first time in several yearswiththehiringofDyrleAnnJoiner.Ms.Joiner,stationedattheArthurTempleSr.ResearchArea,wastednotimeinprovingherselftobeavaluableadditiontotheteam.Unfortunately,thissituationwastoogoodtolastandshelefttheprogramin2008.TheTreeImprovementProgramwasfortunatetoacquiretheservicesoftwolong-termTFSemployees during the final phase out of the Indian Mound Nursery in 2008 through the remainder of the 2009 fis-calyear.LeeThackerandWillieThackerassistedGeraldLivelyattheArthurTempleSr.ResearchAreapriortotheirretirement in August of 2009. Scott Taylor was hired at the end of 2009 to fill the Resource Specialist position at the ArthurTempleSr.ResearchArea.HubertSimsretiredfromMagnolia Springs Seed Orchard at the end of 2009, leav-ingI.N.BrownandWalterBurksatthatfacility.TheTexasForest Service East Texas field crew for tree improvement standsatfour.

TherewerealsoseveralchangesinCollegeStation.Joe Hernandez retired in January 2009 from the Resource SpecialistpositionwiththeHardwoodandUrbanTreeImprovementPrograms.Joehasbeenanintegralpartofthestaff since 1975. He made many of the first- and second-generationselectionsforthehardwoodprogramsanddevel-opedinnovativetechniquesinhardwoodgraftingthatsetthestandardsfortheindustry.Heiscurrentlyworkingparttimeas a retire/rehire to help hold the program together while we attempttoreorganize.AsecondcruciallosstotheCollegeStationstaffoccurredwhenLarryMillerlefttheprogramin May, 2009. He joined the WGFTIP staff in 2001 after a long and influential career in industry. His knowledge of appliedtreeimprovementprogramsissorelymissed.Du-tiesfromJoeHernandez’sResourceSpecialistpositionandLarryMiller’sAssistantWGFTIPGeneticistspecialistposi-tionwillbecombinedandreorganizedintoanewpositionto be titled Silviculturist. This position was briefly filled by MarvinLopezbeforehelefttorejoinapreviousemployer.Inaddition,severalpeopleweregivennewtitlesinordertomaketheirjobdescriptionsequivalenttootherposi-tionswithintheagencyrequiringsimilarlevelsofseniorityandprofessionalexpertise.TheTexasForestServiceandWGFTIPstafffortheperiodincludedthefollowingpeople:

T.D.Byram…....…………………WGFTIPGeneticistL.G.Miller...……AssistantWGFTIPGeneticist(Ret.)E.M.(Fred)Raley......…AssistantWGFTIPGeneticistP. V. Sowell ………………….............. Office AssociateJ.G.Hernandez…ResourceSpecialistIV(Ret.andnow workingparttime)M.S.LopezSr.….……........SilviculturistI(Resigned)G.R.Lively……...……………ResourceSpecialistIVI.N.Brown……………………ResearchSpecialistIIH.Sims………...………ResourceSpecialistIV(Ret.)W.Burks…………….........……ResourceSpecialistIII

D.A.Joiner.......………ResourceSpecialistI(Resigned)ScottTaylor……………......………ResourceSpecialistIL.E.Thacker………….......ResourceSpecialistII(Ret.)W.E.Thacker……….......….ResourceSpecialistII(Ret.)

PUBLICATIONS

Byram,T.D.andN.C.Wheeler.2008.Thepromiseandun-resolvedchallengesofmarkerassistedbreedinginsouthernpinetreebreedingprograms.PresentedattheIUFRO-CTIAJointConference,QuebecCity,Canada,August25-28,2008.

Byram,T.D.,E.M.Raley,andD.P.Gwaze.2007.Perfor-manceofNuttalloak(Quercus texana Buckl.)provenancesatage10intheWesternGulfRegion.Proc. 29thSForTreeImp.Conf.:JointMeetingoftheWesternForestGeneticsAssociationandtheSouthernForestTreeImprovementCommittee,Galveston, TX, June 19-22. pp. 28-38.

Raley,E.M.,J.H.Myszewski,andT.D.Byram.2007.Thepotentialofacousticstodeterminefamilydif-ferencesforwoodqualityinaloblollypinetrial.Proc. 29thSForTreeImp.Conf.:JointMeetingoftheWesternForestGeneticsAssociationandtheSouthernForestTreeImprovementCommittee,Galveston, TX, June 19-22. pp.49-55.

McKeand,S.E.,B.J.Zobel,T.D.Byram,andD.A.Huber.2007.Southernpinetreeimprovement–Alivingsuccess story. Proc. 29thSForTreeImp.Conf.:JointMeetingoftheWesternForestGeneticsAsso-ciationandtheSouthernForestTreeImprovementCommittee, Galveston, TX, June 19-22. pp.3-6.

Mangini,A.C.,T.D.Byram,andD.A.Huber.2007.Asouth-wideratetestofesfenvalerate(Asana®XL)forconeandseedinsectcontrolinsouthernpineseedorchards. Proc. 29thSForTreeImp.Conf.:JointMeetingoftheWesternForestGeneticsAssocia-tionandtheSouthernForestTreeImprovementCommittee, Galveston, TX, June 19-22. 68-78.

Byram,T.D.andW.J.Lowe.2007.Economicorchardreplacement:Theadvancing-frontorchardanditsimplicationsforgroupmeritselectionandhalf-sibfamilyforestryinthesouthernUSA.SeedOrchardConference,Umeå,Sweden,September26-28,2007.

McKeand,S.E.,E.J.Jokela,D.A.Huber,T.D.Byram,H.L.Allen,B.Li,T.J.Mullin.2006.Performanceofim-provedgenotypesofloblollypineacrossdifferentsoils,climates,andsilviculturalinputs.ForestEcologyandManagement227:178-184.

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COOPERATIVE TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM MEMBERS

Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Program Membership

Pine Program

FullmembersoftheWesternGulfForestTreeIm-provement Pine Program in 2008/2009 include ArborGen, LLC,ArkansasForestryCommission,CampbellTimberlandManagement,CellFor,Inc.,DelticTimberCorporation,HancockForestManagement,ForestCapitalPartners,LLC,LouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestry,Okla-homaDepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandForestry,PlumCreekTimberCompany,PotlatchLand&Lumber,LLC,TexasForestService,WeyerhaeuserCompany.

AssociatemembersincludeInternationalForestSeedCompanyandLouisianaForestSeedCompany.

Hardwood Program

TheWGFTIPHardwoodProgramincludestheArkansasForestryCommission,CampbellTimberlandMan-agement,LouisianaDepartmentofAgricultureandForestry,LouisianaForestSeedCompany,PotlatchLandandLumber,LLC,andtheTexasForestService.

Urban Tree Improvement Program

TheUrbanTreeImprovementProgramhasre-ceivedpastsupportfromthefollowingmunicipalitiesandnurseries:AldridgeNurseries(VonOrmy),AltexNurser-ies(Alvin),Baytown,Burleson,Carrollton,Dallas,Dal-lasNurseries(Lewisville),FortWorth,Garland,Houston,LMSLandscape(Dallas),Plano,Rennerwood(TennesseeColony),Richardson,Robertson’sTreeFarm(Whitehouse),andSuperiorTreeFoliage(Tomball).

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

FinancialsupportwasprovidedbymembersoftheWesternGulfForestTreeImprovementProgram,themembersoftheUrbanTreeImprovementProgram,theTexasAgriculturalExperimentStation,theTexasForestService,theTexasChristmasTreeGrowersAssociation,andtheUSDAForestService.AdditionalsupportwasmadeavailablethroughtheConiferTranslationalGenomicsNet-workCoordinatedAgriculturalProject(CTGNCAP)fundedbytheUSDANationalInstituteforFoodandAgriculture(NIFA,formerlyCSREES)andtheUSDAForestService.