Korean researchers to revive endangered Korean fir through gene diversification

One of the most popular trees used for decorations at Christmas are Korean firs, …which have become endangered due to global warming.To help revive the species, Korean researchers have come up with a unique diversification approach.Park Se-young has more. With its dark green needles with silvery undersides, the full and elegant Korean fir is a popular choice for a Christmas tree.The tree is native to mountains over a thousand meters high in South Korea,… but it was listed as endangered in 2012 after an increasing number died due to global warming.On Geumwonsan mountain in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, there are only ten Korean fir trees left.The trees are cousins and all have similar genes,… and are vulnerable to dying with environmental changes."The more genetic diversity, the more likelihood it will be able to adapt to changes in the environment. Trees on Geumwonsan were found to have little genetic diversity, so seed production will become difficult and they'll become prone to extinction… due to the influence of inbreeding over generations."Researchers have planted 13-hundred-50 saplings of Korean fir on Geumwonsan which were grown with seeds from trees on Jirisan mountain, some 40 kilometers away.When the new planted trees with different genes and characteristics breed, the Korean fir trees on Geumwonsan can increase their genetic diversity by one-point-three times and avoid extinction.And in case of the extinction of Geumwonsan's unique Korean firs,… the researchers are storing some of the species DNA in their lab. Park Se-young, Arirang News.