Alabama Governor Kay Ivey awarded HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology $383,268 through the Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs (ADECA). The purpose of this project is to provide those working in Alabama’s timber industry a low-cost genomic tool to identify and verify the type of tree planted and growing in stands throughout the state.
HudsonAlpha is working to incorporate genetic technology into the Alabama timber industry to provide quality control for companies growing and purchasing timber. Currently, the industry relies on trees planted 25 years ago, meaning planters won’t know with certainty that the trees have the qualities they desire until harvest. The TIMBER project (Turning Information into Meaningful Benefits and Economic Returns) will allow the $27 billion industry to determine the exact tree specifications much earlier in their lifetime by deploying and testing a HudsonAlpha-developed sequencing and analysis tool called Khufu.
“This project has the potential to enhance the industry’s ability to accurately verify species at a large scale,” said HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Josh Clevenger, PhD, the principal investigator for TIMBER. “It has the possibility to identify timber assets with key genetic traits, market superior products to buyers, and mitigate financial risk over the long time span required to harvest and produce forestry products.”
Researchers at HudsonAlpha will use Khufu to accurately identify and type trees in a tree stand. The project will test two pine species that are important to Alabama tree farmers and the lumber industry. Landowners, foresters, and manufacturers will be able to use genetics to reduce risk, invest wisely, and secure a competitive advantage over others who don’t apply genetic testing. The work will be conducted in Dothan and spearheaded by HudsonAlpha Wiregrass.
The goal of TIMBER is to show that genetic testing can be a biological surveillance tool in the timber industry. It could provide an extraordinary layer of information to transform decision-making in the timber supply chain, validating tree species and quality earlier in the tree life cycle. TIMBER will apply genetic testing to optimize pine seedlings for growth conditions and improve overall yield.
Working with HudsonAlpha Wiregrass will be an extensive group of industry partners, including SmartLam North America, Great Southern Wood Preserving (YellaWood) and Rex Lumber. The project would also include private landowners, forestry experts, and other advisors.
