Managing forest genetic resources for an uncertain future: findings and perspectives from an international conference

Abstract

As climate change intensifies, the fate of many of the world’s forests is becoming a major concern. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) member states have committed to the goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, which will involve the planting of 3 billion additional trees by 2030. This challenge can only be met by robust and efficient management and conservation strategies, based on intense sharing of knowledge and tools among experts, practitioners and policymakers. The B4EST International Conference ‘Managing Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) for an Uncertain Future’, held on 20–23 June 2022 in Lisbon (Portugal), brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, researchers and policymakers to explore issues around implementation of sustainable management and conservation of European forests. The conference illustrated the promise of genomic technologies for supporting the tree breeding sector, how Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) and Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) could be optimally deployed and play a key role in building climate resilient forests, and the role experts play in the present context of uncertain climate and societal changes.