Reasons for planting Trees

The Potential for Genetic Improvement of Forestry Trees
Most crops used for human food are genetically elite varieties selectively bred over thousands of years, and are often nearly unrecognizable when compared with their primitive ancestors.
Forest trees, in contrast, have evolved without this human intervention, and still retain that huge genetic potential for improvement. Bio-Phyte for ETF Presentation seeks to exploit this potential and accelerate the selection of genetically elite plants using a combination of smart technologies.

Importantly, ETF will not be genetically engineering trees with foreign DNA from non-related species. Instead, we will be capitalising on the potential that the tree and its close relatives already have. This will also avoid the problems of public acceptability of plants containing foreign genes.

ETF aims to produce trees

• with reduced growing cycle
• free of disease
• growth predominantly concentrated in the trunk
• with improved wood quality
• genetically adapted to different regional conditions