Tracing the origin and species identity of Quercus robur and Quercus petraea in Europe: A review

Abstract

Traceability of forest material has received recently increasing interest and European regulations already apply on forest reproductive material and timber. DNA fingerprinting methods allow identification of species and control of geographic origin, providing that genetic reference data is available. In this review, we focus on the two economically important European oak species, Quercus robur and Q. petraea. We describe the available molecular markers and data, and discuss their applicability for traceability systems of forest reproductive material at a European scale. We also provide insights on the use of DNA fingerprinting on timber material.