Category: Plants, Algae, & Fungi

Seeds of Hope

Hayley Tumas

A lodgepole pine cone clings to a 10 year old tree planted in the UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest. This cone contains a part of the next generation of lodgepole pine, which will likely face even higher temperatures and more extreme climate events than its parents. However, forests are not without help. Tree breeding for traits associated with climate adaptation helps prepare trees for rising temperatures and managing forests to conserve genetic diversity helps buffer against an uncertain future. The outlook may seem grim, but each seed provides hope for a future forest.