OREGON—Research geneticist Brad St. Clair is planning for the future. An accomplished scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, St. Clair has spent his career working to understand the genetic basis of how plants are adapted to their environments. Now, hearing the call of retirement, his research is helping the next generation of land managers plan forests for a future with climate change.

Forest genetics research in the Pacific Northwest began in the early 20th century. The past 100 years have seen enormous progress in our understanding of forest genetics and our ability to breed trees. St. Clair has continued to help move the field of genetics forward by producing research that identifies tree adaptations to local climates through natural selection.

In a large-scale transplant study he has explored the responses of Douglas fir tree populations from a wide range of environments that contribute to web-based tools that help natural resource managers find seed sources adapted to future climate change, among many other projects. Assisted population migration is one place where tree genetics research and climate change meet.

One question around forest management and climate change is, “Can we move forests in time to save them?” Assisted migration research aims to answer this question. “The Right Seed in the Right Place: Assessing and Achieving Desired Post-fire Restoration Outcomes in California, Oregon and Washington” is a collaborative project of the Forest Service and deemed a national priority by Forest Service Research and Development Deputy Chief Alex Friend.

The Right Seed in the Right Place project is a partnership between ecological, genetics and silviculture researchers, public and private land management partners, and land managers from the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest research stations and the agency’s Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest regions across the western United States. The project aims to answer three key questions about post-fire restoration: where to do reforestation and what and how to plant future forests.

The project will apply a two-pronged approach: (1) field and remote sensing-based evaluation of post-fire conditions to determine where to plant given desired future conditions, and (2) establishment of a network of experimental sites to measure effectiveness of assisted population migration and novel silviculture approaches to increase short- and long-term reforestation success.

St. Clair reflects on his storied career with an eye to the future:

“As I step into my new role as an emeritus scientist—and as a new grandparent—my focus continues to be the mission of the Forest Service, but with an ever-greater emphasis on the last two words: To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.”

The establishment of a network of experimental sites will serve as a foundation for assisted population migration research across the region and nationally for many years to come. This network will promote the development of partnerships between researchers and land managers to support future collaboration and applied forest management research.

As one Pacific Southwest Region land manager said, “We absolutely need this information about seed sources and climate change because more and more we are going to see troubles with species and seed sources not working any longer.”

Climate change and fire are affecting forests now. The Right Seed in the Right Place project is an opportunity to ensure that the forests we plant today will thrive into the future.