Integration of Conservation Strategies of Plant Genetic ... - Genres

All participants signed three resolutions concerning the management of forests as a sustained
yield base, guidelines for the conservation of biologic diversity of European forests, and the
cooperation in forestry with East European states. All except Sweden and France signed a
resolution concerning strategies for the long term adaptation of forests in Europe to climatic
change.
In Germany there was an unanimous resolution of the Federal Assembly in 1985 which gave
the conservation of forest gene resources high priority. A program was developed in the
subsequent years (Bund-Länder-Arbeitsgruppe 1989), which is under execution. This
program became part of the Federal Program for plant genetic resources (BOMMER and
BEESE 1990).
The topic was discussed in different meetings and publications (e.g. National Research
Council 1991; ARBEZ 1987; MÜLLER-STARCK and ZIEHE 1991; SEITZ and
LOESDECKE 1991; FALK and HOLSINGER 1991; PETERS and GROVEJOY 1992) on
international level and a lot of research emphasis was put into this field.
At the same time there was a reorientation of forest management in Germany and other
European countries in direction of a more ecologically oriented forestry with stronger
emphasis on hardwoods, natural regeneration and unevenaged stands. Parallel to this more
and more abandoned farmlands come into forestry production.
Due to FAO (1985) 400 tree species are worldwide endangered in whole or in significant
parts of their gene pools. This figure does however not include species, where local
populations are already extinct or extremely reduced like Taxus baccata, Sorbus domestica,
Pyrus malus; Malus sylvestris in Germany.
2. Forest tree species and conservation methods
Forest tree species are generally wild populations not yet affected by artificial selection or
breeding with few exceptions like Populus, Salix, Cryptomeria. Some of the economic
important species are however included into more intensive breeding programs during the
past 40 years which includes collections of material, seed orchards and limited clonal
propagation.
The basis of our knowledge of variability and adaptability of tree species originates from
provenance and progeny studies starting as early as 1745 by DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU
(LANGLET 1964) and summarized by STERN and TIGERSTEDT (1974) and STERN and
ROCHE (1974). Morphological and physiological studies were supplemented by biochemical
and genetic studies during the last 15 years. The links between morphology and biochemical
analyses are however not well established and in most cases we do not know to what degree
the variation revealed by electrophoretic susveys reflects genetic differences in the capacity
of an individual tree to compete or adapt.