Forest and Conservation Genetics Research and Teaching at the Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University: From Genecology to Genomics

Genetic variation plays a central role in the capacity of forest tree populations to respond to environmental heterogeneity and climate change. Within the Faculty of Natural Resources Management, forest genetics research has developed through a strong foundation in genecology, provenance testing, seed-source selection, and the applied use of genetic information in forest management. This article provides an overview of that research history, beginning with the work of Dr. William H. Parker, whose studies of adaptive variation in boreal tree species established an important basis for seed transfer, reforestation, and tree improvement. It then describes how this foundation has been extended through teaching and training in forest genetics, renewed analyses of long-term provenance trials, greenhouse experiments examining adaptive traits, and the incorporation of genomic tools to study forest tree adaptation. Current research also applies landscape genetic and genomic approaches to conservation questions in boreal woodland caribou, linking genetic connectivity to landscape structure and disturbance. Together, these activities highlight the continued importance of long-term experimental systems, genomic resources, and applied genetic research for understanding and managing forest and wildlife responses to environmental change.