During the 4th International Consultation on Forest Genetics and Tree Building, held in 1998 in Beijing, China, leading scientists were invited to review past achievements, to redefine the role of forest genetics and breeding in contemporary forestry, and to set priorities for future research and development. On the basis of the invited presentations, the volume summarizes the state of knowledge in various fields, such as the impact of forest management and of changing environmental conditions on genetic resources, and the value of genetic markers as indicators for adaptational potential, as well as the tasks of conservation.
Detailed reports from the different continents provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the global situation of forest genetics and tree breeding research. The book offers not only an overview of contemporary trends and expected future developments, but also identifies current main problems in funding and cooperation. It may prove therefore useful not only for scientists, university lecturers and advanced students in the field of forestry, ecology and conservation biology, but also for decision makers and managers in companies and conservation organizations.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- Forest genetics and tree improvement research in IUFRO.- Lessons from hundred years of international research in forest genetics and breeding.- 2. Situation and challenges for forest genetics and breeding.- Situation of forest genetics: research and extension.- Tree genomes: what will we understand about them by the year 2020 and how might we use that knowledge?.- Genetic markers in forest genetics the tunnel remains dark.- 3. Adaptive Potential of Populations.- Patterns of adaptive genetic variation in forest tree species; the reproductive enviroment as an evolutionary force in Picea abies.- Population differentiation for adaptive traits and their underlying loci in forest trees: theoretical predictions and experimental results.- Genetic structures as indicators for adaptation and adaptational potentials.- Assessment of population history and adaptive potential by means of gene markers.- Adaptability of relic populations: a case study in Pinus leucodermis Ant..- 4. Genetic resources and changing environment.- Genetic implications for forest trees of increasing levels of greenhouse gases and UV-B radiation.- Sexual reproduction response of boreal trees to a changing environment.- 5. Sustained management of genetic resources the impact of forestry.- Conserving genetic diversity of forest trees in managed landscapes.- Plantations vs. naturally regenerated forests: Risks and stability in using bred, cloned, or biotech products.- Impacts of industrial forestry on genetic diversity of temperate forest trees.- Impact of logging on genetic diversity in humid tropical forests.- Genetic impacts of different silvicultural practices in native eucalypt forests.- Influences on the international exchange of forest genetic resources An Australianperspective.- 6. Conservation of forest genetic resources.- Genetic conservation strategies: Who needs data?.- The need for an international framework for the conservation and sustainable utilization of forest genetic resources.- 7. Genetics and tree improvement research: problems and prospects.- Problems and prospects for forest tree improvement research in the United States.- Conservation and management of genetic resources of commercial forests in New Zealand: Challenges of institutional changes and new technology.- Cooperation with private woodland owners in funding and establishing programs and priorities for tree breeding research.- Research advances in forest tree genetics and breeding in China.- International cooperation in forest genetics research in Southeast Asia: is it working and how can it be improved ?.- Cooperation as a support to promote forest genetics research in developing countries of Latin America.- 8. Contribution of genetics to the sustained management of global forest resources.- Conclusions and recommendations of the 4th International Consultation on Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, held in Beijing, China, August 2228, 1998 organized by IUFRO in cooperation with FAO.