Genomics, domestication, and evolution of forest trees

The forests of the world continue to be threatened by climate change, population growth, and loss to agriculture. Our ability to conserve natural forests and to meet the increasing demand for fuel, biomass, wood, and paper depends on our fundamental understanding of tree growth and adaptation (FAO 2001; Fenning and Gershenzon 2002; Campbell et al. 2003; Gray et al. 2006). Our knowledge of the unique biology of trees will be greatly advanced through the application of genomics. The purpose of this chapter is to describe this emergent genomic paradigm as it is being applied to trees.