Gerald "Jerry" Tuskan, director of the Department of Energy Center for Bioenergy Innovation and ORNL Corporate Fellow, accepted the Marcus Wallenberg Prize from HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 3.
The Wallenberg award is considered the Nobel Prize for forestry, conferred in recognition of groundbreaking scientific achievements that contribute to forestry and forest industries. Tuskan was recognized for his pioneering work in sequencing and analyzing the first tree genome, enabling successive breakthroughs for genome-based breeding of commercially important trees, including as biomass feedstock crops.
"There are more trees on Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way," Tuskan said in his acceptance speech. "In their numbers, they form the framework of life on this planet. Trees provide habitat for countless species, generate the oxygen every animal breathes, filter and purify our drinking water, and offer us renewable resources in the form of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin - the building blocks for everything from paper to modern bio-composites."
Armed with knowledge from the sequencing of the first tree genome, Populus trichocarpa, "we began to reshape Populus itself. Through targeted genome engineering, we have created trees with 50 percent less lignin, a 200% increase in photosynthetic assimilation, and enhanced symbiosis with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi," Tuskan said. "These improvements aren't just theoretical - they're being actively evaluated for their role in the emerging bioeconomy, where trees will become renewable feedstocks for fuels, materials, and chemicals. Certain Populus genotypes and genes also show a natural affinity for rare earth element uptake, opening the door to phytomining and bioremediation applications."
There are more trees on Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way. In their numbers, they form the framework of life on this planet.
Tuskan also delivered the keynote presentation at the Marcus Wallenberg Prize Symposium , "From Tree Genomes to Future Forest," on November 4, detailing discoveries for the bioeconomy enabled by his genetics research.
UT-Battelle manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE's Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science . -Stephanie Seay
