People have always had, and will continue to have, an interdependence with forests. Given the reality of a growing world population, more productive, healthy, and sustainably managed forests are needed. We rely on the services forests provide, like cleaning water and slowing climate change by absorbing atmospheric carbon. We need sustainably managed trees to produce paper, packaging, homes, food, and renewable energy. We need to keep our forests healthy and productive to fulfill all these needs and to protect forested areas from decline. These Principles are crucial because biotechnology is...

This primer discusses the basic concepts of forest biotechnology, how biotech trees are managed, and why the Institute of Forest Biotechnology (IFB) created a set of stewardship principles for the responsible use of these trees. The Institute of Forest Biotechnology is the only organization to address the sustainability of forest biotechnology on a global scale. With the help of our Partners and Sponsors, we bring diverse stakeholders together to address societal, environmental, and economic aspects of forest biotechnology. More information about the IFB is available at www.forestbiotech.org...