Dear colleagues and friends, 

please see attached the first announcement for the 8th International Workshop on Resistance Mechanisms and Breeding in Forest Trees "Putting promise to practice in the face of global challenges". 

The workshop is sponsored by the IUFRO working parties 7.03.11 “Tree Resistance to Insects and Pathogens” and 2.02.15 “Breeding and Genetic Resources of Five-Needle Pines" and will take place on June 2 to 6, 2025, in Vernon, British Columbia.

SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOP: The Tree Resistance Workshops series provides an international forum to discuss the status and future plans for both tree resistance breeding programs and scientific research efforts in the field of tree resistance mechanisms against pathogens and insects. The topics of discussion will include, among others, conventional tree breeding initiatives, ecology and genetics of resistance and tree-antagonistic relationships in natural and managed tree populations, mechanisms of recognition and signaling of biotic damage and plant defensive strategies, comparative genomics, GWAS, genomic selection and other genomic initiatives looking for resistance, interactive effects of climate change and abiotic stressors with biotic resistance, the role of microbiome in resistance, and new methods, technology, and tools for resistance screening. The primary audience is those involved with operational breeding programs as well as academic researchers and extension professionals. We welcome the participation of students and early career professionals.

PLEASE HELP US: To help with the planning of the event, please let us know your interest and if you are planning to attend by filling out the following short survey by May 31st, 2024: View/vote in browser

FOR MORE INFORMATION (or if your organization is interested in sponsoring this workshop): please contact Caterina Villari (cvillari@uga.edu) and Nicholas Ukrainetz (Nicholas.Ukrainetz@gov.bc.ca). Further details regarding registration, abstract submission, and travel arrangements will be provided in August 2024.

Integrated Plant Sciences: ips.uga.edu