National Forest Genetics Laboratory (NFGEL)

NFGEL was established in 1988 as part of the National Forest System of the USDA Forest Service. NFGEL is located at the Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, California.

Protocols

Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art molecular genetic information to the National Forests and other cooperating agencies for the evaluation and protection of our nation's genetic resource. NFGEL services are provided to managers within the Forest Service, other government agencies, and non-government organizations for assessing and monitoring genetic diversity. We work closely with research institutions to incorporate the latest technological advancements into our program.

• Standard Operating Procedures for Starch Gel Electrophoresis, June 2003 (PDF, 679 KB)

Project History

We support resource management through the study of genetics. NFGEL provides baseline genetic information, determines the effect of management on the genetic resource, supports genetic improvement programs, and contributes to conservation and restoration programs, especially those involving native and threatened, endangered, and sensitive (TES) species.

• Genetic Diversity (PDF, 42 KB)
• Identification (PDF, 50 KB)
• Taxonomy (PDF, 33 KB)

Annual Reports

Projects results are summarized in our Annual Reports by fiscal year (FY).

• FY 1998 (PDF, 636 KB)
• FY 1999 (PDF, 274 KB)
• FY 2000 (PDF, 573 KB)
• FY 2001 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
• FY 2002 (PDF, 1.0 MB)
• FY 2003 (PDF, 3.3 MB)
• FY 2004 (PDF, 4.6 MB)
• FY 2005 (PDF, 10.6 MB)

Project Submission

Our services include project proposal development, sample design, protein and DNA marker electrophoresis, data interpretation and analysis, and reports of results and management implications.

Projects may be proposed by any Forest Service employee or member of a cooperating agency. Project ideas should be discussed with the NFGEL Director prior to submission. Following preliminary approval, a brief proposal should be submitted summarizing background information, project objectives, and management implications. Projects are prioritized annually by a Steering Committee made up of national Forest Service geneticists. Final proposals, including study objectives, sampling design, and analysis, are developed through close cooperation between NFGEL and our clients. Questions regarding proposal format should be directed to the NFGEL Director.

• NFGEL Project Submission Form (PDF, 18 KB)
• NFGEL Project Submission Form (DOC, 42 KB)

Collection Guidelines

• Collection Guidelines-Vegetative Tissue (PDF, 18 KB)
• Collection Guidelines - Seed (PDF, 17 KB)
• Collection Packing List (PDF, 18 KB)

Publications

• Wilson, B.L., Hipkins, V.D., Rey-Vizgirdas, E. and Kaye, T.N.. 2005. Variation in Lewisia kelloggii (Portulacaceae) with description of a new species endemic to Idaho. Western North American Naturalist 65(3):345-358.
• Schmidtling, R.C. and Hipkins, V.D.. 2004. The after-effects of reproductive environment in shortleaf pine. Forestry 77(4):287-295.
• Hipkins, V.D. and Kitzmiller, J.H.. 2004. Genetic variation and clonal distribution of quaking aspen in the central Sierra Nevada. Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 40:32-44.
• Hipkins, V.D., Wilson, B.L., Harrod, R.J. and Aubry C.. 2003. Isozyme variation in showy stickseed, a Washington Endemic Plant, and relatives. Northwest Science, 77:170-177.
• Chen, Z., Kolb, T.E., Clancy, K.M., Hipkins, V.D. and DeWald L.E.. 2001. Allozyme variation in interior Douglas-fir: association with growth and resistance to western spruce budworm herbivory. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31(10):1691-1700.
• Wilson, B.L., Kitzmiller, J., Rolle, W. and Hipkins, V.D.. 2001. Isozyme variation and its environmental correlates in Elymus glaucus from the California Floristic Province. Canadian Journal of Botany 79:139-153.
• Samman, S., Wilson, B.L. and Hipkins V.D.. 2001. Genetic variation in Pinus ponderosa, Purshia tridentata, and Festuca idahoensis, community-dominant plants of California's yellow pine forest. Madrono 47(3):164-173.
• Wilson, B.L., Doede, D.L. and Hipkins V.D.. 2000. Isozyme variation in Sisyrinchium sarmentosum (Iridaceae). Northwest Science 74(4):346-354.
• Schmidtling, R.C., Hipkins, V.D. and Carroll, E.. 2000. Pleistocene refugia for longleaf and loblolly pines. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 10(3/4):349-354.
• Schmidtling, R.C., Carroll, E. and LaFarge, T.. 1999. Allozyme diversity of selected and natural loblolly pine populations. Silvae Genetica 48:35-45.
• Schmidtling, R.C. and Hipkins V.D.. 1998. Genetic diversity in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris): influence of historical and prehistorical events. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 28(8):1135-1145.
• Adams, W.T., Hipkins, V.D., Burczyk, J. and Randall W.K.. 1997. Pollen contamination trends in a maturing Douglas-fir seed orchard. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 27:131-134.
• Foster, M., Carroll, E. and Hipkins, V.D.. 1997. Saw-toothed Lewisia: to be or not to be. Fremontia 25(1):15-19.
• Hipkins, V.D., Marshall, K., Neale, D.B., Rottmann, W. and Strauss, S.H.. 1995. A mutation hotspot in the chloroplast genome of a conifer (Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga) is caused by variability in the number of direct repeats derived from a partially duplicated tRNA gene. Current Genetics 27:572-579.
• Hipkins, V.D. and Strauss, S.H.. 1995. Chloroplast genome evolution in conifers. In: Plant Genome and Plastome: Their Structure and Evolution, K. Tsunewaki (ed). Kodansha Scientific Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. pp 167-173.
• Hipkins, V.D., Krutovskii, K.V., and Strauss S.H.. 1994. Organelle genomes in conifers: structure, evolution, and diversity. Forest Genetics 1(4):179-189.
• Strauss, S.H., Hong, Y.-P. and Hipkins, V.D.. 1993. High levels of population differentiation for mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in Pinus radiata, muricata, and attenuata. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 85:605-611.
• Hong, Y.-P, Hipkins, V.D. and Strauss, S.H.. 1993. Chloroplast DNA diversity among trees, populations and species in the California closed-cone pines (Pinus radiata, Pinus muricata and Pinus attenuata). Genetics 135:1187-1196.
• Strauss, S.H., Bousquet, J., Hipkins, V.D. and Hong, Y.-P.. 1992. Biochemical and molecular genetic markers in biosystematic studies of forest trees. New Forests 6:125-158.
• Hipkins, V.D., Tsai, C.-H. and Strauss, S.H.. 1990. Sequence of the gene for the large subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from a gymnosperm, Douglas-fir. Plant Molec. Biol. 15:505-507.
• Zaerr, J.B., Hipkins, V.D. and Forry, K.. 1989. Evaluation of some markers of vigor in seedlings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Ann. Sci. Forest 46:246-249.

Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/silviculture/nfgel/index.shtml
Last modified: Monday, 28-Nov-2011 18:47:13 EST