Forest Policy and Biodiversity Strategy: The Relevance of Forest Genetic Resources

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable forest management is based on the long-term adaptability of forest ecosystems and starts at the lowest, namely the gene, level. Management and conservation of forest genetic resources is essential and needs to consider all processes which might affect their genetic variability, especially processes influencing the ability of a population to reproduce in heterogeneous environments. The primary concern is to maintain the adaptability of future generations of forest trees to the changing environmental conditions, which can be supported by active management supporting high genetic diversity, such as through adequate collection and use of forest reproductive material, active measures for increasing genetic diversity, and sustainable forest management through adequate silvicultural systems. Yet, sustainability of forests, including all measures for “genetic conservation of forests” proposed for long-term conservation of the adaptability potential, need to be assessed in time. Only if future forests will include populations of a high genetic diversity, the adaptability potential will be conserved and future landscapes might remain similar to their present situation, with forest stands growing and fulfilling ecosystem services in their present distribution areas.

Forest genetic monitoring (FGM) is therefore a crucial component of any sustainable forest management as it gives a possibility to detect potentially harmful changes of forest adaptability before they are seen on higher levels. The key questions to address are:

1. How to contribute to the identification of the national / regional / EU and global-wide genetic monitoring objectives and strategies, and how to address obstacles to meet the objectives for development and implementation of FGM.

2. How to contribute to the identification of communication systems with key stakeholders and policy makers regarding FGM.

3. How to contribute to the formation of a future action plan on the procedures needed to obtain a discussion line with policy makers on development and implementation of the system for FGM.

Possible topics are:

• Nature dynamics is framed by genes, whereas human approach mostly by legislation
• An overview of forest management and forest monitoring practices with a view towards a regional Forestry and a regional Forest biodiversity strategy
• Adaptive forest management in the changing climates: Different countries adopted diverse strategies that best suit their particular management needs and interests concerning sustainable use of FGR
• How to cope with large-scale disturbances, regeneration and survival of forests
• From science to practice: FGM regions, demographic and genetic indicators and verifiers, ring tests and database organizaiton
• How to mitigate the northwards moving rear edge of currently important tree species in southern and xeric borders of their distribution in Europe
• The role of FGR in provision of forest ecosystem services
• Scientific support to the question on what should an action plan on production and use of forest reproductive material (FRM) consider

Dr. Hojka Kraigher
Dr. Srdjan Stojnic
Dr. Urša Vilhar
Guest Editors

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