3 ms·

Good questions! 1. We are still studying tradeoffs. Given the biochemical mechanism (how we change the trees), we are essentially increasing the amount of ener

Good questions! 1. We are still studying tradeoffs. Given the biochemical mechanism (how we change the trees), we are essentially increasing the amount of energy going to growth and not changing any fundamental ratios between lignin and cellulose. Think of this as similar to when humans go into ketosis :) We have seen some evidence of increased temperature resistance and wilt resistance but not enough data yet to come to any conclusions. 2. Empress trees grow very fast but there is not much of a market for their wood because it is very light. this means it is harder to get landowners to plant these trees. Poplar trees are commonly planted for environmental services like cleaning up of abandon mine lands and loblolly pines which are commonly used for saw timber. The varieties of trees we start with have been studied in the field for decades and we have access to that field trial data to start with.

biomcgary 5y ago
I burn wood pellets to heat my house. Wood pellets are a convenient, relatively high density energy storage system. Pellets are also carbon neutral (other than the supply chain, which, in the US, tends to be regional rather than global). I'm concerned that the metal uptake might be problematic. I assume you are engineering trees with various combinations of properties. . .
- maddiehalla 5y ago
  We would not use any trees with metal for pellets. Because the landowners we work with grow the trees for over 25 years the type of wood produced is better for saw timber or timber that is used in building materials. it wouldn't be pellet grade wood.
  - webmaven 5y ago
    > We would not use any trees with metal for pellets. Because the landowners we work with grow the trees for over 25 years the type of wood produced is better for saw timber or timber that is used in building materials. it wouldn't be pellet grade wood. This may be a bit nitpicky, but one of the things sawmills produce is sawdust. What are the downstream effects of sawdust with higher metal content?
Fiahil 5y ago
> Empress trees grow very fast but there is not much of a market for their wood because it is very light. "Market" for wood is measured in decades, not months. The trees we are harvesting today are the result of a "market" selection made by our fathers and grand-fathers (typically, oak in western Europe). Saying that Empress trees is out of fashion today because their wood is too light, might be true, but it's not the answer you should be giving. So, either you have the ability to see 40 years into the future, or you simply don't know and don't assume it won't be likeable for the next generation.
- maddiehalla 5y ago
  In the conversations we have had with landowners, they are much more interested in planting Loblolly pine or poplar, which are naturalized and / or native than Empress. I think Empress trees are very cool but hybrid poplar and loblolly pine are better suited for the types of sites we are planting seedlings on.
  - Fiahil 5y ago
    Don't listen to what people want or like. As I said, tree selection is not for one's lifetime : it's a gift for the next generation. If you're approaching landowners by telling them they can turn a profit in X years, you are doing it wrong. If your motivation is greed, then you set yourself up for failure, first because price forecast 25 years in the future are absolutely idiotic and meaningless (as we have seen in the past two years), then because trees are very complex organisms that take a very long time to grow. By modifying their genome you expose them to potential rejection by their peers and more things that you will discover in two decades. And also getting bared from planting them in Europe. So, get your marketing straight : no more profit, and grow what you want. Take those carbon credits home, that's the most profitable thing you can do.
    - ncmncm 5y ago
      Not listening to the people you want to have do things is a super great way to get nothing to happen.
tempestn 5y ago
It sounds like this might allow these trees to out-compete others. Is there risk that over time they could take over and reduce diversity, or cause other unintended consequences in the long term?

biomcgary 5y ago

I burn wood pellets to heat my house. Wood pellets are a convenient, relatively high density energy storage system. Pellets are also carbon neutral (other than the supply chain, which, in the US, tends to be regional rather than global). I'm concerned that the metal uptake might be problematic. I assume you are engineering trees with various combinations of properties. . .

maddiehalla 5y ago
We would not use any trees with metal for pellets. Because the landowners we work with grow the trees for over 25 years the type of wood produced is better for saw timber or timber that is used in building materials. it wouldn't be pellet grade wood.
- webmaven 5y ago
  > We would not use any trees with metal for pellets. Because the landowners we work with grow the trees for over 25 years the type of wood produced is better for saw timber or timber that is used in building materials. it wouldn't be pellet grade wood. This may be a bit nitpicky, but one of the things sawmills produce is sawdust. What are the downstream effects of sawdust with higher metal content?

Fiahil 5y ago

> Empress trees grow very fast but there is not much of a market for their wood because it is very light. "Market" for wood is measured in decades, not months. The trees we are harvesting today are the result of a "market" selection made by our fathers and grand-fathers (typically, oak in western Europe). Saying that Empress trees is out of fashion today because their wood is too light, might be true, but it's not the answer you should be giving. So, either you have the ability to see 40 years into the future, or you simply don't know and don't assume it won't be likeable for the next generation.

maddiehalla 5y ago
In the conversations we have had with landowners, they are much more interested in planting Loblolly pine or poplar, which are naturalized and / or native than Empress. I think Empress trees are very cool but hybrid poplar and loblolly pine are better suited for the types of sites we are planting seedlings on.
- Fiahil 5y ago
  Don't listen to what people want or like. As I said, tree selection is not for one's lifetime : it's a gift for the next generation. If you're approaching landowners by telling them they can turn a profit in X years, you are doing it wrong. If your motivation is greed, then you set yourself up for failure, first because price forecast 25 years in the future are absolutely idiotic and meaningless (as we have seen in the past two years), then because trees are very complex organisms that take a very long time to grow. By modifying their genome you expose them to potential rejection by their peers and more things that you will discover in two decades. And also getting bared from planting them in Europe. So, get your marketing straight : no more profit, and grow what you want. Take those carbon credits home, that's the most profitable thing you can do.
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Not listening to the people you want to have do things is a super great way to get nothing to happen.

tempestn 5y ago

It sounds like this might allow these trees to out-compete others. Is there risk that over time they could take over and reduce diversity, or cause other unintended consequences in the long term?