New tools for engineering tomorrow's forests

Abstract

It is difficult to overstate the role of wood in the story of humanity. In times that predate recorded history it provided shelter from the elements, light and warmth when burned, and a supple material with which early humans could craft their first tools. Today, it is still one of our chief building materials and an emerging industry is extending its applications through the development of novel biomaterials, such as cellulose fiber-derived nanocomposites. An article in this issue of Physiologia Plantarum (Johnsson et al. 2019) describes the influence the phytohormones auxin and gibberellic acid (GA) have on the process of wood formation, and reveals possible targets for optimizing cell wall properties in fiber cells.