Genetic improvement of forest tree species

Abstract

Brazilian forestry sector is considered one of the most developed in the world, being the base for important industrial segments which use wood as raw material. Tree breeding has played an important role on improving the competitiveness of Brazilian forestry-based companies, especially for its positive reflexes on increasing adaptation, forestry productivity and wood quality. In spite of the importance of other forest trees for the economy, such as Schizolobium, Araucaria, Populus and Hevea, the main genera under genetic improvement in the country are Eucalyptus, Pinus, Acacia and Tectona. They are used by industries like pulp and paper, siderurgy, tannin, chips for exportation and lumber, constituting an important source of revenues for the Brazilian's economy, besides their positive social and environmental impacts. This paper presents a generic approach to genetic improvement aspects of these four major genera currently undergoing breeding in Brazil.