North American Forest
Genetics Society

The North American Forest Genetics Society (NAFGS) is extremely fortunate to have received two very generous donations in its very first year of existence. The first gift ($35,000) is from the Institute of Forest Genetics (IFG) – Eddy Foundation. The Institute of Forest Genetics was founded by James Eddy for the purpose of using plant breeding methodologies to develop varieties of forest trees to be used in reforestation

(https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/locations/placerville/history.shtml).

 

The ownership and management of IFG was turned over to the US Forest Service in 1935 at the height of the depression. For the next nearly 100 years IFG was an international leader in forest genetics research of nearly all types (applied breeding techniques and basic research in evolutionary, population, quantitative genetics and biotechnology and genomics). The IFG-Eddy Foundation recognizes the important role that the NAFGS will play in the advancement of the discipline of forest genetics in North America and internationally and for these reasons this gift was made.

 

The second gift ($20,000) was made by Ms. Linda Lux, the wife of the very well-known IFG scientist Dr. F. Thomas Ledig (1938-2015), in his memory. Tom was without a doubt one of the most extraordinary forest geneticists throughout its history in North America and would certainly be an active and highly contributing member of the NAFGS, if he were still with us today.

 

These funds will be used in support of undergraduate and graduate student scholarship activities.