Forest Health Initiative

Exploring Biotechnology to Protect Forest Health

A collaborative effort to advance the country’s understanding and role of biotechnology to address some of today’s most pressing forest health challenges. The initiative will initially focus on restoring a test species and an icon of eastern U. S. forests – the American chestnut – whose numbers were virtually wiped out during the past century by chestnut blight. While working to restore the American chestnut as the test tree, the program will explore new approaches to enhance the health and vitality of other trees, forests, and forest ecosystems. The Initiative will use a holistic approach to address emerging forest health threats by assessing not just the science but the societal and regulatory issues concurrently.