Dr Mike Menzies

Dr Mike Menzies

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About

Dr Mike Menzies is a nursery and propagation scientist whose work has had a major influence on the quality of trees planted in New Zealand’s commercial forests. He has led a number of research projects aimed at mass propagation of radiata pine. Technologies developed by his team have significantly increased the availability of improved tree stocks to the forest industry.

Qualifications

PhD (Tree Physiology), University of Washington, USA -1980
BSc (Forestry) (Hons), Australian National University, Australia -1969
BSc, (Botany) Auckland University, New Zealand - 1967

Research capabilities

  • Clonal forestry.
  • Vegetative propagation strategies and methods (including tissue culture, cuttings and grafts) bare-root and container-grown nursery practices. 
  • Seedling physiology and plant quality.
  • Forest establishment practices.
  • Field evaluation of vegetative propagules.

Career highlights

  • Project leader for the development of tissue-culture and nursery propagation systems for radiata pine. These systems are now used by the major forestry companies in New Zealand, including Fletcher Challenge Forests (organogenesis) and Carter Holt Harvey Forests (embryogenesis)(both now amalgamated into Arborgen NZ) to provide approximately 30% of radiata pine planting stock for New Zealand forestry each year and allow more cost-effective production of high genetic quality plants.
  • Project leader for the establishment and assessment of field trials to determine the importance of physiological ageing on growth and form of vegetative propagules. This research has defined an optimum physiological age of 3-4 years to give improved form without sacrificing early growth rates.
  • More than 75 technical reports for clients/stakeholders.
  • Consultant for forestry Government organisations and private companies in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Chile, India, Sarawak, covering research areas of nursery production, vegetative propagation and establishment practice.

Selected papers

Walter, C. and Menzies, M. 2010: Ch. 1: Genetic modification as a component of forest biotechnology. Pp. 3-17 in Forests and Genetically Modified Trees. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.

Hargreaves, C. L., Reeves, C. B., Gough, K., Josekutty, P., Skudder, D. B., van der Maas, S. A., Sigley, M. R., Menzies, M. I., Low, C. B. and Mullin, T. J. 2009: Improving initiation, genotype capture and family representation in somatic embryogenesis of Pinus radiata D. Don by a combination of zygotic embryo maturity, media and explant preparation. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39: 1566-1574.

Hargreaves, C. and Menzies, M. 2007: Organogenesis and cryopreservation of juvenile radiata pine. Pp. 51-65 in S. M. Jain and H. Häggman (Eds.). Protocols for Micropropagation of Woody Trees and Fruits. Springer, The Netherlands.

Menzies, M.I. and Brown, W.D. 2005: Nursery procedures for raising Douglas-fir Seedlings. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.10, pp. 103-104.

Menzies, M.I., Dibley, M.J., Brown, W.D. and Faulds, T. 2005: Nursery procedures for raising planting stock of radiata pine. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.9, pp. 100-103.

Holden, D.G. and Menzies, M.I. 2005: Field use of radiata pine cuttings. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.6, pp. 90-92.

South, D.B., Menzies, M.I. and Holden, D.G. 2005: Stock size affects outplanting survival and early growth of fascicle cuttings of Pinus radiata. New Forests 29(3): 273-288.

Menzies, M.I., Aimers-Halliday, J. 2004: Propagation options for clonal forestry with conifers. Pp. 255-274 in Walter, C. and Carson, M. (Eds.) Plantation Forest Biotechnology for the 21st Century. Research Signpost, Kerala, India.