HIGHLIGHTS OF 2016-2017

• We published a PNWTIRC report entitled “A high-density Affymetrix Axiom genotyping array for genomic selection in Douglas-fir.” This was a collaboration between the Pacific Northwest Tree Improvement Research Cooperative and the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance. The report authors were Glenn Howe, Keith Jayawickrama, Scott Kolpak, Jennifer Kling, Matt Trappe, Valerie Hipkins, Terrance Ye, Stephanie Guida, Rich Cronn, Sam Cushman, and Susan McEvoy.
• We published a PNWTIRC report entitled “Genomic Selection Workplan.” This plan, written by the PNWTIRC and Northwest Tree Improvement Cooperative (Keith Jayawickrama and Terrance Ye), describes planned research that will focus on reducing the costs of genomic selection in Douglas-fir.
• Erda Çeler published her M.S. thesis on the Drought Hardiness Study. The title of her thesis is “Douglas-fir seedlings in the Pacific Northwest: The genetics of drought adaptation.” Erda’s project was a collaboration with Keith Jayawickrama, BLM, Weyerhaeuser, Silver Butte, and the Washington DNR. Erda was supported by the Turkish government, and now works as a liaison for international forestry research projects in Turkey.
• Scott Kolpak presented a talk at the 2017 meeting of the Western Forest Genetics Association and Canadian Forest Genetics Association. The title of his talk was “Development of a high-density Affymetrix Axiom genotyping array for genomic selection in Douglas-fir.”
• Oguz Urhan continued to develop breeding strategies for western white pine in collaboration with Marc Rust, Richard Sniezko and others.
• Susan McEvoy was hired as a Bioinformatician, focusing on the assembly of the western white pine transcriptome.
• We hosted the annual meeting of the NSF Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS) from May 2-4, 2017, in Portland, Oregon.
• We increased PNWTIRC dues from $8,000 to $10,000 for Regular members. This was the first dues increase in over two decades.
• Former PNWTIRC graduate student and staff member, Lauren Magalska, took a position as the genetics coordinator for Port Blakely.
• Lauren Magalska was elected as the new Policy/Technical Committee Chair and Brian Baltunis will continue as the CAFS representative for OSU.

Full Report