Ecology > Pacific Yew

Pacific Yew

Taxus brevifolia Nutt

A review of Pacific yew and the research carried out at the Pacific Forestry Centre.

The Pacific yew research project was initiated in 1992 at the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, British Columbia in response to concerns that the demand on this species for the anti-cancer drug taxol^TM would be unsustainable. Little was known about Pacific yew prior to the taxol issue and, for the most part, the tree had been regarded as a non-commercial weed species. The project focussed on conservation and cultivation options for the sustainable development of taxol from naturals stands of Pacific yew.

This web site is intended to summarize the results of research conducted by the team at the Pacific Forestry Centre. More detail can be obtained through our reports and publications which are listed in this site. For further information, contact Project Leader Dr. Alan Mitchell.