Genetic modification (GM) research and deployment in plantation forestry with lessons from Australian agriculture, New Zealand, and south-east United States forest industries

Gavin Matthew - 2017

The report explored three (3) challenging questions for our renewable forest industries in Australia: Is advanced GM technology for us? What needs to change? How can we change it?

The following conclusions were made:

In the long term, yes, especially with looming market, climate change and biosecurity risks. However,  progressing a GM technology framework in Australia would need to be as part of an integrated tree improvement strategy to reduce risk, increase our trees and forests resilience to known and emerging threats, and increase commercial benefit.

A Strategic Plan would be needed that could be broken up into short term (application of precision forestry techniques), medium term (improvements in advanced tree breeding, precision forestry techniques and investment in new technologies, wood products and wood product solutions, while preparing the regulatory and social purpose ground for implementing a GM technology plan), and in the longer term (advanced GM technologies being researched and deployed for key commercial tree species).

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