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A comprehensive framework to evaluate the financial impacts of genetic improvement on wood products from planted forests

Summary

Published in Canadian Journal of Forest Research (Just-IN). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2024-0057

Increasing the productivity of planted forests may efficiently provide an important part of the world’s growing demand for wood while protecting natural forests. In this study, we developed an integrated modelling framework to evaluate the financial impacts of improving productivity of planted forests by tree breeding. Using this framework, we compared three genetic improvement scenarios of white spruce plantations, a key reforestation species in North America, and evaluated the differences in the derived wood product assortments in terms of quantity, quality, and revenues. Favouring the production of wood volume appears as the best way to enhance financial gains from white spruce plantations in the current market. The scenario that focused on increasing tree height produced a greater volume of wood products and larger lumber pieces, which resulted in the greatest revenues. In comparison, favouring wood stiffness over volume led to poorer results, as the increased product quality was not sufficient to surpass the financial gain associated with greater wood volumes. While we successfully provided an evaluation of the product assortments derived from genetically improved plantations, the proposed framework would benefit from more data input to help maximize financial gains from a range of tree breeding strategies.

Sector(s): 

Forests

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture

Departmental author(s): 

Barrette, Julie

Author(s)

CHAGNON, Catherine, Guillaume MOREAU, André SORO, Christine BOMBARDIER-CAUFFOPÉ, Emmanuelle BABY-BOUCHARD, Vincent CHAMBERLAND, Julie BARRETTE, Nancy GÉLINAS, Isabelle DUCHESNE, Patrick LENZ, Jean BOUSQUET and Alexis ACHIM

Year of publication :

2024

ISSN

0045-5067, 1208-6037

Keywords :

article scientifique, scientific article, sylviculture et rendement des plantations, silviculture and yield of plantations, enhanced growth, lumber products and co-products, plantations, revenues, white spruce, wood quality, croissance accrue, panier de produits, plantation, revenue, épinette blanche, qualité du bois

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