An Everyday DNA blog article
Written by: Sarah Sharman, PhD
Illustrated by: Rita Clare, Scivetica
If you stop and think about it, most of us probably have an important memory of a tree. Maybe yours was the oak tree that shaded your backyard, the one sturdy enough for a tire swing or a secret hideout treehouse. Or maybe it’s the magnolia that blooms outside your grandmother’s kitchen window, marking the start of every southern summer.
Trees frame the moments that shape us. But beyond their sentimental value, trees quietly keep our planet running. They clean our air, manage our water, shelter wildlife, cool our cities, and make Earth livable.
And right now, many of them need our help.
The Power of a Single Tree
We depend on trees in more ways than we probably realize. A single mature tree can absorb hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide each year, acting as a natural air filter and climate regulator. Their root systems hold soil in place and help manage water runoff, preventing erosion and flooding. Forests also provide homes for countless creatures, from tiny fungi to towering bears.
But it’s not just the planet that benefits from trees. Spending time among trees has been shown to lower blood pressure and stress levels, improve focus, and even strengthen immune function. In short: healthy trees mean a healthier us.
The Many Ways Trees Are Under Pressure
For as strong as they look, trees are surprisingly sensitive to stress. Extended drought, fluctuating global temperatures, pollution, and land development can all weaken trees. When trees are stressed, they’re more vulnerable to disease and invasion by pests.
And the most destructive threats sometimes come from far away. Invasive insects and fungi can hop continents aboard shipping crates, nursery plants, or lumber. Local tree species that evolved without these attackers have little built-in defense.
A classic cautionary tale is the American chestnut. Once a giant of eastern US forests, the chestnut could grow ten stories tall and feed everything from deer to bears with its nuts. But an imported fungus called chestnut blight swept through in the early 1900s, killing an estimated four billion trees within decades.
That kind of loss reshaped ecosystems, economies, and entire communities. It also underscored how quickly a tree species can disappear, and why science has to act quickly, too.
How Tree Genomics Offers a Way Forward
Every tree, just like every person, has a unique genetic “instruction manual” written in its DNA. Inside that manual are traits that help some trees survive drought, resist disease, or tolerate heat better than others. By decoding and comparing these genetic differences, scientists can understand why certain trees thrive where others struggle, and use that insight to help forests recover.
Genomics, the study of all an organism’s DNA, lets researchers read that instruction manual in remarkable detail. With the right data, they can pinpoint genetic changes linked to resilience, then apply that knowledge to support breeding or restoration programs that strengthen whole forest populations.
The Chestnut’s Second Chance
At HudsonAlpha, researchers are part of a national effort to restore the American chestnut tree. Once a dominant tree in eastern US forests, it’s now almost gone due to chestnut blight. But some rare individuals show signs of natural resistance. By studying their DNA, scientists can pinpoint the genetic clues that allow them to survive.
HudsonAlpha’s Genome Sequencing Center (GSC) contributed to this work by assembling high-quality reference genomes that serve as an important guide for other scientists and breeders using genomics to improve chestnut trees. Understanding these genetic blueprints can guide replanting and conservation efforts so one day, chestnuts might again tower over Appalachian ridges and fill forests with blooms and nuts as they did a century ago.
Unlocking Clues in the Paint Rock Forest
Another initiative, right here in Alabama, is the Safeguarding Alabama Wild Forests project. This collaboration between HudsonAlpha and Paint Rock Forest Research Center is taking a deep dive into the genetics of our local forests.
The Paint Rock site, spanning the Cumberland Plateau into the Paint Rock Valley, provides a living laboratory for studying genetic variation in native forests. The Paint Rock research team has mapped about 75,000 tree stems, roughly the size of 200 football fields of forest. Using samples from species like elm, ash, black walnut, and shortleaf pine, researchers at the HudsonAlpha GSC are analyzing how tree genetics vary across environments.
By linking genetic diversity to traits such as pest resistance or drought tolerance, the data can help predict which trees are best equipped for the future and, conversely, which areas might be at risk. It’s a proactive approach that aims not just to protect trees after they’ve been damaged, but to understand how they adapt before it even begins. When scientists understand the genetic diversity within forests, they can better predict how they’ll respond to change.
Growing Knowledge: The American Campus Tree Genomes Project
Trees aren’t just subjects of study; they’re also incredible teachers. The American Campus Tree Genomes (ACTG) Project, co-founded by HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Alex Harkess, PhD, helps students learn genomics right outside their classrooms, sometimes literally in their own quad.
Through ACTG, universities and community colleges across the country use campus trees as hands-on research tools. Students collect leaf samples, extract DNA, and analyze the genetic differences among species and even between trees of the same species. The goal is twofold: to contribute to the broader understanding of tree genomics and train the next generation of scientists.
By giving students hands‑on experience with real genomic tools and data, the program demystifies the field of genetics and opens doors into scientific careers. And because each DNA sequence contributes to the long‑term goal of comparing and understanding tree species across regions, these students are doing more than learning; they’re actively advancing conservation science.
It’s a full‑circle example of trees giving back: by helping educate the next generation of scientists, they’re also helping secure their own survival.
Roots of Hope
When we talk about saving forests, the scale can feel overwhelming. But every dataset, every sample, every student learning to decode DNA adds another piece to the puzzle of forest resilience.
The insights from HudsonAlpha’s tree genomics projects ripple outward — not only restoring threatened species but also strengthening local ecosystems, guiding land management policy, and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Trees have long been a symbol of endurance. Now, with the help of genomics, that endurance has a fighting chance to continue well into the future.
