Spruce-Up launching its activities

Spruce-Up (Advanced spruce genomics for productive and resilient forests) is a large-scale national project with goal to use genomics to accelerate the development and deployment of spruce stocks that are more resistant to insects and drought, use nutrients more efficiently and provide improved wood quality and productivity. Spruces are by far the most planted trees in Canada, with hundreds of million of seedlings per year. The natural genetic diversity of spruces is high, which allows for the selection of improved stocks using conventional and now genomic methods. The rapid deployment of such improved stocks should more than double the net economic output value from plantations by increasing the value of new trees and reducing losses due to environmental disturbances in a context of climate change. The project is funded by a large number of organizations including Genome Canada, Genome Québec, Genome BC and Genome Alberta. It gathers research scientists from Université Laval, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, University of Toronto, University of Oxford in England and Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany, as well as research scientists and tree breeders from Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Québec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Forest Products Innovations and British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.Spruce-Up logo