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Tree Biology Lab
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A lab that explores the structure of tree cells and bark and the mechanisms by which trees withstand cold.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding how trees are built and how they survive winter.
The Tree Biology Lab conducts basic research to support the effective use of trees, a key forest resource.
It investigates what structures and functions tree tissues have and how they are formed.
How trees adapt to harsh environments such as cold is another major pillar of the research.
The lab's methods range from observation with light and electron microscopes to techniques from physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology.
Key terms
- Pit
- A small opening in the cell wall of wood. It serves as a passage that lets water and other substances pass between adjacent cells
- Wood species identification
- Examining the tissue structure of wood under a microscope to determine what kind of tree it came from
- Freezing resistance
- The property of plants that allows them to survive sub-zero cold without being damaged by freezing
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Excellent Poster Award at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society
A student received the Best Oral Presentation award at the 10th PRWAC
ResearchResearch themes
As a foundation for using trees effectively, the lab studies the structure and function of tree tissues and how they form. It also investigates how trees adapt to environmental stresses such as cold.
*Illustrative imageFine structure and function of wood cell walls
Using electron microscopy, the lab examines the fine structure of pits, which connect neighboring cells in hardwood, and analyzes how they regulate water flow in living trees and how they are involved in the rewetting of tissue that has once dried.
*Illustrative imageStructure and formation of bark
Bark is divided into the outer bark, which protects the tree from the outside, and the inner bark, which transports and stores nutrients. Using various types of microscopes, the lab investigates differences in bark structure among tree species and the process by which bark forms.
*Illustrative imageWood species identification
The lab identifies the species of wood excavated from archaeological sites on Hokkaido University's Sapporo Campus, clarifying how wood was used in prehistoric Hokkaido. It is also developing methods to identify species at a level finer than genus.
*Illustrative imageCold hardiness and freezing resistance of trees
Trees acclimate to cold from autumn to winter and increase their ability to withstand freezing. The lab analyzes the mechanisms of freezing adaptation, which differ among organs and tissues, at the levels of tissue structure, physiology, and molecules.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Tree Biology Lab are faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYuzo Sano
- Associate ProfessorKeita Arakawa
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “20180422basswood19stack ( )” MostlyDross from Springfield, VA, USA / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Fine structure and function of wood cell walls: “Окаймлённая пора ( похожа на глаз дракона)” Evgeny Varakin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Structure and formation of bark: “Picea glehnii 01” Σ64 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Wood species identification: “Wood fibers 100X” Ganímedes / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Cold hardiness and freezing resistance of trees: “Frost on Cottonwood Trees ( )” Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (木材工学研究室): “Tsuruno-maihashi” MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (木材化学研究室): “Pile of wood chips Namibia” Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) - Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (林産製造学研究室): “Shiitakegrowing” frankenstoen from Portland, Oregon / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (造林学研究室): “Fagus crenata in Mount Daimon” Alpsdake / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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