Growing better trees faster

A new research collaboration could significantly increase the quality and economic productivity of one of the UK's largest crop outputs, Sitka spruce conifer trees. Using a breeding technique called 'genomic selection', researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh and from Forest Research, an agency of the Forestry Commission, hope to accurately identify, at a very early age, fast growing trees with superior timber quality. In doing so, the ' Sitka Spruced' research initiative could improve the economic value of future spruce plantations in the UK.  In addition, by enhancing the quality of the wood, harvests are more likely to meet the changing construction specifications required to build our houses. The Sitka spruce is the UK's primary timber species, with over 35 million Sitka trees planted in the UK each year. It is the third largest crop by area of cultivation in the UK, after wheat and barley, and accounts for around £1bn of the industry's £2bn annual revenue. Fast growing and suited to the moist climate of western and northern Britain, the species produces a versatile white wood, with uses from paper making, to building construction.