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.

*********************************************************

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.