Broadleaved Tree Species Genetic Resource Management and Conservation Techniques

Dear Colleagues,

Too often underestimated even by the forestry world, genetic diversity provides the fundamental basis for the evolution of forest trees and their adaptation to changes. The conservation of forest genetic resources (FGR) in general and of broadleaved species in particular is therefore vital, as they are a unique and irreplaceable resource for the future, to be treated as an integrated element of an overall sustainable forest management.

Their conservation and sustainable management should be promoted in multidisciplinary programmes worldwide. In this context, lack of information can limit the capacity of scientific and stakeholder communities to integrate their management into coordinated actions to face the present challenges, and reliable scientific knowledge is of great importance to reach the target. In addition, forestry-related information still largely refers to forest resources in general rather than to the conservation and management of genetic diversity and variation, which are severely endangered in many regions of the world. Although in the last few decades knowledge of forest sciences specifically regarding the broadleaves has reached an excellent level of quality, an increase of its dissemination is required in order to favor the implementation of strategies which address the new challenges of the present time.

In relation to the above considerations, at a period of such rapid and intense changes, we believe that the time has come to help take stock of the situation regarding the conservation and management of the genetic resources of forest broadleaves in this context. You are therefore invited to contribute to this Special Issue and to help ensure that the experience of the family of forest improvers and geneticists has not been in vain.

Dr. Fulvio Ducci
Dr. Alberto Santini
Prof. Dr. Tore Skrøppa
Guest Editors

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