Successful varietal forestry with radiata pine in New Zealand

Authors: Mike Carson, Sue Carson, Christine Te Riini
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2015, Issue N.Z.J.For. 60(1) 2015, pp 8-11, May 2015
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: Varietal forestry (sometimes termed clonal forestry) can be defined as the commercial production and deployment of plants of field-tested, individual genotypes (clones or varieties) of forest tree species. The varietal forestry programme managed by Forest Genetics Ltd (FG) with radiata pine is one of a few such successful programmes with pines worldwide, and has been built on over 60 years of R&D in breeding and propagation. Clonal varieties offer substantial additional benefits to forest growers when compared with commercial seedlots produced in both openpollinated and control-pollinated seed orchards. Although cloning technologies for pines have been available for over 30 years, a reliable and cost-efficient varietal development and delivery system for radiata pine has only recently been perfected.

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