Forestry

Mendel is actively developing trait technology for application to trees through collaborations with SweTree Technologies and ArborGen LLC. We are especially interested in the opportunities that exist for our yield and stress tolerance technologies in plantation forest species. More than half of the plantation forests in the US are grown for pulp and paper production; with the predominant species being pine and slow growing hardwoods. In recent years, however, there has been decreased demand for these US products due to an increase in global pulp output, largely derived from plantations in tropical regions such as South America. We therefore estimate that up to 10 million acres in the South East US will become available for planting with more productive rapid cycling trees species, such as Eucalyptus and hybrid aspen if traits such as water use efficiency and freezing tolerance can be enhanced.

Eucalyptus is of particular interest as a fast growing, high yielding hardwood; several species are grown commercially in many parts of the world for pulp to produce high quality paper. Eucalyptus is also considered to be an ideal source for the production of clean-burning and renewable ethanol, a critical component in the nation's drive to boost green energy and reduce dependence on foreign oil. However, the range of this tropical species within the South East US has been limited to Florida as a result of its sensitivity to low temperatures. A key focus therefore, is to apply Mendel freezing tolerance technology to this species to expand the acreage on which it can be grown. A number of Mendel transcription factors are undergoing field testing in this Eucalyptus in collaboration with ArborGen LLC. Of these, the Mendel WeatherGard technology has produced very promising results across multiple seasons of testing and is now under development for commercialization.