3:52 p.m.
Dear IUFRO Division 7,
We invite you to submit “Resilience of Forest Biodiversity to Climate
Change and Pests: Civic Engagement and Conservation in Seed Banks, Public
Gardens, and Wild, Urban, and Agroforestry Landscapes”. This session is
organized by members of the Society of American Foresters, Kew Gardens,
Morton Arboretum, and the US Forest Service, and one of eight linked to the
International Society of Tropical Foresters. The deadline for abstract
submissions is 2 June 2023 (3 weeks from today). The session proposal is
included below.
NOTE: Presently, we cannot offer funding for travel and registration; we
are exploring options and appreciate any leads you may have.
*Session description*
To conserve biodiversity, multiple approaches can be taken on the ground.
This mini-symposium (Panel, Flash-talks & Posters) represents experts who
focus on complementary aspects of conservation and reforestation; threat
assessment, seed collecting and banking from wild trees, collective action
and civic engagement, the roles of public gardens in conserving genetic
resources, developing genetic resistance to pests to conserve biodiversity,
and the importance of conserving genetic diversity in the face of pests and
climate change.
Seed is the unit by which biodiversity is propagated, and therefore,
protected. There is ever increasing pollination disruption with shifting
local climate conditions and more fragmented and degraded native
ecosystems. As forests and genetic diversity are lost, so are mother trees
for seed collection, in a time when people want to greatly scale
reforestation efforts. In addition to potential declines in seed crops,
global trade, biodiversity loss, and fragmentation increase the threat of
emergent insect and pathogen outbreaks, resulting in local or range-wide
extinction of iconic tree species. Therefore, there is a global need for
threat assessments, seed collection and banking of native tree species.
In the context of the above challenges and solutions, public gardens and
arboreta are critical to the resilience of forests and society. In addition
to acting as living collections, seed sources, and refugia of tree species,
public gardens serve as biodiversity hotspots in cities, and meeting places
for public and volunteer conservation efforts and outreach. As sentinels,
trees in public gardens can be used to proactively detect emergent disease
threats. Through collective action, exchange of information, public
engagement, and local expert knowledge, “think global, act local” could be
applied to aid proactive efforts to protect forest biodiversity from the
next major pests across the world. Local experts and civic ecologists can
accomplish this by collecting seed and observing trees in native
environments, plantations, public gardens, and urban forests. Breeding or
human-directed genetic improvement presents a practical solution for
restoration of species that are impacted by emergent pest epidemics,
climate change, or other threats. The utility of breeding to protect
biodiversity also depends on the prior establishments of seed banks and
other germplasm resources. It is critical to generate a prior understanding
of the diversity of populations of tree species valued for their
ecological, horticultural, or economic and commercial characteristics, the
observed or potential effects of threats to those populations, and the role
diversity could play in recovery of species.
*Topic areas*
1: collecting seed, 2: seed banking, 3: assessing threats, 4: think global
act local to address threats with civic ecology and urban forests and
botanical gardens, 5: public gardens supporting conservation efforts, and
6/7: developing genetic resistance to conserve biodiversity and conserving
biodiversity.
*Abstract submission details*
The call for abstracts for IUFRO 2024 is at
https://iufro2024.com/call-for-congress-abstracts/. The abstract
announcement is at
https://iufro2024.com/wp-content/uploads/IUFRO_2024-Call_for_Abstracts-1-2.….
(NOTE THAT THE SESSION ABSTRACT DEADLINE HAS PASSED. THE CALL NOW IS FOR
PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS).
Download the book of IUFRO 2024 sessions t
https://iufro2024.com/wp-content/uploads/IUFRO_2024-List_of_Sessions-1-1.pdf.
Submit your abstract at
https://www.appinconf.com/kas/Abstract?projectName=iufro2024abstracts
This document is also available at:
https://usfsipsentinelnetwork.github.io/Time_to_submit_presentation_abstrac…
*Abstract submission instructions*
SESSION: (Search for the session of interest)
TITLE: Spell out words, do not use abbreviations. The title or text is not
to indicate the country of origin, unless it is pertinent to the topic.
AUTHORS: Names and surnames for each author must be provided. Do not
include degrees or titles. The presenting author’s name will be published
in bold.
AFFILITATIONS: Each author should be listed by University/Hospital,
Department and Country. Please make sure to include this complete
information in the Affiliation text box.
TEXT: The abstract must be in English, mention one of the topic areas
above, and should be a maximum of 300 words, excluding the title. It is the
author’s responsibility to submit a correct abstract; any errors in
spelling, grammar, or scientific fact will be published as typed by the
author, if accepted. Poor English may be a cause for rejection. The
Programme Committee will accept abstracts for the Scientific Programme
(oral or poster presentation) on scientific merit.
“Only Abstracts of registered participants will be printed. At least one of
the authors must be registered for the Conference.”
We look forward to seeing you in Stockholm for IUFRO 2024.
Regards,
Jill Wagner, Geoff Williams, Denita Hadziabdic-Guerry, Sean Hoban, Lara
Salido
*Geoff Williams, PhD International Sentinel Network Coordinator*
*Forest Service *
*International Programs*
*Office of the Chief*
*Office: +1 (202) 263-9231*
*WhatsApp: +1 (208) 874-7604 **geoffrey.williams(a)usda.gov
<geoffrey.williams(a)usda.gov> *
3101 Discovery Dr., Suite F
Lansing, MI 48910
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*Caring for the land and serving people*