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Forest Health Initiative

The Forest Health Initiative is 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 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 with 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.

Click here to learn more about the Forest Health Initiative.