Dear Colleagues in Division 1 and Division 2
I want to invite you to submit an abstract for the flash talk session organized jointly by Division 1 (silviculture) and Division 2 (genetics and physiology).
Regards
Somidh Saha
Session : T3.27 Flash talks
New forests with greater resilience: the importance of forest genetic resources in forest landscape restoration
Somidh Saha, Santiago C González-Martínez, Palle Madsen, Douglass F. Jacobs, Stephen Cavers, René
Zamora Cristales
Climate change impacts and anthropogenic activities have destroyed vast tracts of forest across the
globe. Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) is a planned national, international, and global process
that aims to restore degraded forest land to increase ecological functionality and human well-being.
Research has shown that nearly 2 billion ha of land is suitable for FLR, but these future forests will
have to have high resilience to withstand growing climate change impacts. One strategy for handling
these pressures is to carefully manage levels of genetic diversity in forests restored by humans to
ensure adaptive potential. This session invites presentations on how forest genetic resources can be
effectively deployed during the planning, initiation, establishment, and future management of forests
restored under the FLR. The session will focus on five thematic questions:
1. How can we effectively deploy the genetic diversity of native trees, herbs, and shrubs
during forest restoration?
2. How can multifunctional use of forests (e.g., multipurpose trees, biomass, non-timber
forest produce, etc.) be enhanced through genetic resource management?
3. Which forest management and silvicultural interventions can be used in FLR to increase
gene flow?
4. How should we plan tree breeding programs to increase environmental and disease
tolerance without compromising the natural genetic diversity of the population?
5. How can we integrate FGR management with the nursery sector at national and
international levels to ensure supply of high quality, genetically diverse planting stock?
6. How we can produce seeds and plants to implement commitments under the UN Decade
on Ecosystem Restoration, and regional Initiatives such as 20x20 in Latin America and
AFR100 in Africa?
The session will have a global focus comprising FLR and forest genetic resources in all terrestrial
forest ecosystems. Submissions linking FLR activities to forest genetic resource management from
less-studied forest ecosystems will be welcomed. This interdisciplinary session aims to bring together
foresters, forest owners, forest geneticists, silviculturists, nursery sector representatives, and biologists
in presentation and discussion.
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
Dr. rer. nat. Somidh Saha
KIT-Associate-Fellow (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Geo- and Environmental Sciences)
Senior Scientist
Head of a Research Group: Sylvanus
Karlstr. 11
76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
Phone: +49 721 608-24644
Fax: +49 721 608-24806
E-mail: somidh.saha@kit.edu
Web: https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/rg_syl_saha_somidh.php; www.somidh.com
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Disclaimer: Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology or any other institution.