Report Release

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will hold a public release webinar for the new consensus report Forest Health and Biotechnology: Possibilities and Considerations on Tuesday, January 8 at 2:00 pm ET. Register below to watch the report release webinar. The recording will be posted 1 week afterwards.

Biotechnology has the potential to help mitigate threats to North American forests from insects and pathogens through the introduction of pest-resistant traits to forest trees. However, many gaps in knowledge remain, particularly related to tree genetics, effects on the environment, and the public’s understanding of the technology. The report examines the potential of biotechnology to mitigate threats to forest tree health; identifies the ecological, ethical, and social implications of deploying biotechnology in forests, and develops a research agenda to address the knowledge gaps. The report release webinar will feature: A presentation by the Chair of the report’s authoring committee

• Dr. Susan E. Offutt, Chief Economist (retired), U.S. Government Accountability Office

A Q&A session with study committee members

• Dr. Susan E. Offutt, Chief Economist (retired), U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Dr. Jason A. Delborne, Associate Professor of Science, Policy, & Society, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University
• Dr. Stephen DiFazio, Professor, Department of Biology, Director, Genomics Core Facility, West Virginia University
• Dr. Inés Ibáñez, Associate Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan