De novo transcriptome assembly and discovery of drought-responsive genes in white spruce (Picea glauca).

Forests face an escalating threat from the increasing frequency of extreme drought events driven by climate change. To address this challenge, it is crucial to understand how widely distributed species of economic or ecological importance may respond to drought stress. In this study, we examined the transcriptome of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) to identify key genes and metabolic pathways involved in the species' response to water stress.

Comparing the effects of even- and uneven-aged silviculture on ecological diversity and processes: A review.

With an increasing pressure on forested landscapes, conservation areas may fail to maintain biodiversity if they are not supported by the surrounding managed forest matrix. Worldwide, forests are managed by one of two broad approaches-even- and uneven-aged silviculture. In recent decades, there has been rising public pressure against the systematic use of even-aged silviculture (especially clear-cutting) because of its perceived negative esthetic and ecological impacts.

Contributions of a global network of tree diversity experiments to sustainable forest plantations.

The area of forest plantations is increasing worldwide helping to meet timber demand and protect natural forests. However, with global change, monospecific plantations are increasingly vulnerable to abiotic and biotic disturbances. As an adaption measure we need to move to plantations that are more diverse in genotypes, species, and structure, with a design underpinned by science.