The human experience. What sets us apart from the rest of the natural world? Is it our compassion, sense of tribal belonging, or ability to communicate using speech and writing? What about our hardwired desire to explore the world and improve the human experience through invention and innovation?

Every time I visit a new forest, I am excited to see and explore new things and test the waters with my fishing pole to see what lurks beneath. Harnessing the power of fire, inventing the wheel, and building ships are historic high-impact human innovations. But modern-day innovations are no less impactful: The telephone, antibiotics, computing and the internet are serious game-changers that may forever alter how we experience the world. What will be the experiences of future generations? The question is nearly impossible to fathom when we consider the inventions and innovations that have reshaped our world over the past century alone.

As a scientist, one of my favorite modern advances is that of molecular genetics—our current understanding of the genetic code and gene expression. Think about it: Everything that you are, physically, is summarized by an alphabet composed of four letters—a unique combination of adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), or cytosine (C) that is translated by your cellular machinery to make you uniquely you. From a spiritual perspective one can conceive of DNA as the language of God: “For he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.” (Psalms 33:9)

Molecular genetics and all the knowledge it implies is truly mind-blowing. Built upon structural studies by Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, the famous double helix of James Watson and Francis Crick was decoded by Erwin Chargaff and Phoebus Levene (among others) into the A, T, G, and C that is common to the field today. These discoveries have improved our understanding of Mendelian inheritance (classical genetics) and opened avenues for research innovation in biotechnology—such as the development of COVID-19 RNA vaccines.

As manager of the Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genetics and Silviculture Team at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, this is the realm in which I play. We leverage modern technology using molecular genetics to shape the future of silviculture and forest-use management. While our environmental DNA work capturing biodiversity in streams has already made a splash over the past couple of years, our more recent efforts have captured national and international headlines like this: For the First Time, Tree DNA Was Used to Convict Lumber Thieves in Federal Investigation.

Like the character Abby Sciuto in an episode of NCIS, I'm using tree DNA in real-life episodes of TCIS—Tree Criminal Investigative Service—to land the bad guys in jail. Okay, maybe not as glamorous (or stylish—only Abby can rock those black platform boots and spiked collars), but the satisfaction is the same. The evidence is irrefutable: a DNA match between a sold log and a stump in a national forest means that the tree was poached, and a guilty verdict is warranted. My team and I are currently developing the assay for two other highly valued tree species: eastern black walnut and western red cedar. We hope that our work can be used to prevent poachers from stealing these tree species from our national forests as well.

As I reflect on what I like the most about my job after nearly seven years, I honestly cannot decide if it is the cutting-edge quality of the work or the relationships and knowledge gained through collaboration. As a trained biological illustrator, I also enjoy tapping my inner artist to depict some of our scientific findings. In all, I take pride in the knowledge that our work makes a difference: As innovative researchers, we are directly involved in the Forest Service’s mission to develop and provide scientific and technical knowledge to improve our capability to protect, manage and use forests and rangelands.