Breeding Trees For Farms

Livestock farmers are planting trees more than ever these days – and not just for timber blocks.

Dr Lindsay Fung is the tree breeder for Hort-Research working at Aokautere, near Palmerston North. He is breeding willow and poplar trees, primarily for soil conservation on slippery slopes, for waterway protection as riparian strips, and as shelterbelts.

Poplars and willows are also potentially valuable sources of supplementary fodder, especially during drought, according to Dr Fung, and they also have potential for timber production. Northern hemisphere selections were imported during the 1960s for soil conservation plantings, but were soon hit by poplar rust and anthracnose diseases and by voracious possums.

The tree researchers soon realised that local selections were needed for the varying NZ conditions. Dr Fung crosses promising tree species, and selects the most promising performers from on-farm evaluations.

These are then multiplied vegetatively as clones – poles for planting. “We are dealing with a few brothers and sisters that are widely planted over the country,““explains Dr Fung. “Breeding in pest and disease resistance is therefore important, to pre-vent tree losses.”

HortResearch has released ten clones in recent years, and several overseas types have also been grown on farms. Clones like Kawa and Toa grow well in warm northern regions, whereas the American Schreiner hybrids tend to grow best in the cool south.
Regional council tree specialists match the most suitable clones to different farm sites and supply well-grown poles each season. Grassland farmers can grow these trees to preserve their hills and provide shelter, shade and fodder for their stock - and beauty for themselves and tourists.

16th April 2003
Source: Deric Charlton