Genetic Firs Help Weyerhauser Grow For Future Specially Grown Trees Produce Stronger, Improved Wood

When it comes to breeding Douglas fir, scientists are no longer aiming simply for bigger trees that grow faster.

Genetic engineering is allowing them to focus on specific traits of the wood - the straightness of the grain, for example, or its strength, or the size of knots.

While wild Douglas fir already is considered strong by industry standards, Weyerhaeuser Co. can produce genetically improved Douglas firs that are even stronger, said Cheryl Talbert, manager of the company’s tree improvement, genetics research and seed production program.

And that can be a distinct advantage for products like trusses, which hold up roofs.

The company’s only seedprocessing operation in the Northwest is in Thurston County. Eventually, these seeds mature into Douglas fir trees growing in company forests.

Weyerhaeuser’s genetically improved Douglas firs are the offspring of trees - known as “plustrees” - that the company has identified as superior.

The grown Douglas firs in the seed orchards are used to produce superior seeds through controlled pollination.

Since 1986, all Douglas fir trees planted at elevations of 2,000 feet or less have been genetically improved.

That means 30,000 to 40,000 acres per year of genetically improved trees. And the individual trees produce up to 20 percent more wood than others.

According to Talbert, the company’s ultimate goal is tuning whole stands of trees to meet the long-term needs of specific customers.