Scott A. Merkle, professor of forest biotechnology and associate dean for research at the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has dedicated more than two decades to researching chestnut trees, and is currently working to develop blight-resistant American Chestnut trees. In addition to his research on chestnut trees and recent commercialization of hybrid sweetgum trees, Merkle is an expert on somatic embryogenesis and has employed the approach to propagate over a dozen different tree species and hybrids, including yellow-poplar, magnolia, black locust, green ash, longleaf pine and hemlock. His research interests include using cell and tissue culture to propagate trees for germplasm conservation, species restoration, biomass energy and phytoremediation. Read More