Researchers find genes that help Christmas trees resist climate change

Name: Researchers find genes that help Christmas trees resist climate change
Uploaded: 2022-12-14T22:29:18.000Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: Climate change is threatening Christmas tree crops, according to North Carolina State University researchers, who are working to make trees more resilient through genetics.

Climate change is threatening Christmas tree crops, according to North Carolina State University researchers, who are working to make trees more resilient through genetics.

Posted 12/14/2022, 10:29:18 PM Updated 12/15/2022, 1:58:06 AM

THOSE STORIES AND MORE AT THE

TOP OF THE HOUR, CHRIS. ALL

RIGHT. THANKS, JERROLD. CLIMATE

CHANGE IS HAVING AN IMPACT ON

ALL SORTS OF CROPS, INCLUDING

CHRISTMAS TREES. AND THIS

INCLUDES TREES GROWN ACROSS

THE COUNTRY. AND HERE IN NORTH

CAROLINA.

>> WRAL'S CLIMATE CHANGE

REPORTER LIZ MCLAUGHLIN REPORTS

NC STATE RESEARCHERS ARE HOPING

TO MAKE THEM MORE RESILIENT.

>> THE BELOVED CHRISTMAS TREE

AT THE CENTER OF MANY HOLIDAY

TRADITIONS FACES CLIMATE

CHANGE, CHALLENGES FOR

DEVELOPING TREES THAT HAVE

NATURAL GENETIC

REASON TO.

>> A DROUGHT TO CLIMATE ARE

ALSO SOME OF THE THREATS THAT

WE'RE FACING. JUSTIN RIGHT HALL

DIRECTOR OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

GENETICS PROGRAM AT NC STATE.

>> SAYS GENETIC IMPROVEMENTS TO

NORTH CAROLINA'S NATIVE FRASER

FIR IS FOR DECADES IN THE

MAKING. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS

NOW GETTING SOME OF THOSE OUT

TO GROWERS CLIMATE CHANGE IS

STRESSING TREE POPULATIONS

MAKING THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE

TO PESTS AND DISEASES BROUGHT

ACTUALLY LIKES.

>> WET AND WARM CLIMATES.

AND SO HAS THAT CHANGED IN 2

MORE OF THAT CLIMATE, IT'S

SPREADING FURTHER AND FASTER.

>> WILL BALDWIN IS ISOLATING

FAVORABLE AROMA COMPOUNDS AND

FRASIER FIRS A TRAIT THAT

BENEFITS MORE THAN CONSUMERS

NOSES.

>> THOSE COMPANIES ARE ALSO

IMPORTANT FOR HIM.

>> PAT'S RESISTANCE, CRAFTING

RESILIENCY CAN HELP TO MITIGATE

CHRISTMAS. TREE SHORTAGE IS

SEEN IN RECENT YEARS HELPING

GROWERS AND BUYERS ARE TREES AS

IT HITS THE PRICES DOWN RIGHT?

>> ONCE FAVORABLE GENES ARE

ISOLATED RESEARCH, ASSISTANT

YANNICK FAVRE. IT USES MICRO

PROPAGATION TO PRODUCE THEM

HERE IN THE TISSUE. CULTURE

ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE AID

>> CHRISTMAS TREE FROM ONE

SCENE TO THOUSANDS OF PLANTS.

>> GROWING CLIMATE RESILIENCE

IN ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP

CHRISTMAS TREE PRODUCING

STATES. LIZ MCLAUGHLIN,

WRAL NEWS.

>> EXPERTS SAY BUYING A NATURAL

TREE IS A MORE CLIMATE FRIENDLY

CHOICE THAN AN ARTIFICIAL TREE.

NATURAL TREES ARE ALSO