10:23 p.m.
Dear Meliaceae Working Perty:
This publication may be of interest.
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 8, 2017 at 3:43 AM
Subject: [IUFRO Div 2] IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #55: Genetics
research crucial to future forest health, adaptation, conservation an
To: Dear Reader of IUFRO News <div2(a)lists.iufro.org>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #55: Genetics research crucial to
future forest health, adaptation, conservation and sustainable management
*The 125th Anniversary Congress on 18-22 September 2017 in Freiburg,
Germany, will offer a wide selection of scientific sessions highlighting
innovative research and interdisciplinary research approaches of relevance
to forests, and focus on the transfer of scientific knowledge on critical
global forest-related challenges to national and international political
agendas. In a series of "Congress Spotlight" articles individual sessions
shall be showcased to give a foretaste of the richness and scope of
research findings that will be presented at the Congress. Keep updated at:
http://iufro2017.com/ <http://iufro2017.com/>*
*Genetics research crucial to future forest health, adaptation,
conservation and sustainable management*
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/download/file/27360/6537/anniversary-congress-spotlight55-genetic-research-th2_pdf/>
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=18620&md5=29efe0c2490dc0e1765b74ce9570a4a13c315118¶meters%5B0%5D=YTo0OntzOjU6IndpZHRoIjtzOjQ6IjgwMG0iO3M6NjoiaGVpZ2h0IjtzOjQ6IjYw¶meters%5B1%5D=MG0iO3M6NzoiYm9keVRhZyI7czoyMjoiPGJvZHkgYmdjb2xvcj0iYmxhY2siPiI7¶meters%5B2%5D=czo0OiJ3cmFwIjtzOjM3OiI8YSBocmVmPSJqYXZhc2NyaXB0OmNsb3NlKCk7Ij4g¶meters%5B3%5D=fCA8L2E%2BIjt9>
*A. Controlled pollination in black spruce to produce F3 progeny at
Petawawa Research Forest; B. DNA fingerprints of 10 individuals each of
white spruce (WS), black spruce (BS) and red spruce (RS) at a genic
microsatellite showing genetic diversity; C. Sampling of old-growth and
post-harvest second-growth black spruce to examine the genetic effects of
forest harvesting and renewal practices in Manitoba (Rajora and Pluhar
2003, Theor. Appl. Genet. 106: 1203-1212); D. Testing of three-generation
outbred pedigree of black spruce under ambient and elevated CO2 conditions
for QTL mapping of traits related to acclimation and adaptation to climate
change. All pictures were taken by Dr. Om Rajora or his associates.*
"The role genetics/genomics research can play in forest management is huge
but, unfortunately, remains under-utilized," said Dr. Om Rajora, Professor
of Forest Genetics and Genomics at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
"Genetics/genomics research can greatly assist the management of natural
and planted forests by conserving healthy, productive, well-adapted and
genetically diverse natural forest and developing high yielding tree
varieties with desired traits for deployment in plantations," he said.
Dr. Rajora is the organizer and coordinator of a session entitled *Genetics
and Genomics for Conservation, Climate Adaptation and Sustainable
Management of Forests* to be presented at the IUFRO 125th Anniversary
Congress in Freiburg, Germany in September.
"Genetic diversity is the basis of all biodiversity," he said. "It
provides
the raw material for survival, adaptation and evolution of all organisms,
especially under changed environment, climate and disease conditions.
"Therefore, conservation and management of genetic diversity in forest
trees is critical for the stability and functioning of forest ecosystems
because forest trees are normally the keystone species of many ecosystems,
and many faunal and floral associations depend on their existence,"
Dr. Rajora added.
This research is critical to understanding the biological functioning of
forest trees, discovering genes, their sequences and functions and variants
that control or affect growth, wood properties, adaptation, disease and
insect resistance, he said.
It's also important to understanding genetic response of forest trees to
natural and human disturbances, climate and environment change, among many
other things, he added.
"Understanding the biology of forest trees is critical to develop and
implement any sound forest management plan. Can a physician, without
knowing human biology, properly manage human health?" He asked. "The same
question should apply to forest managers. Genes control many of the
biological processes. Genetic diversity is the basis of forest
sustainability because it provides the raw materials for species,
populations and individuals to adapt and evolve, especially under changed
environmental and disease conditions.
"Genetic and genomics research has a crucial role to play in understanding
the acclimation and adaptive responses of forest trees to climate change –
the major environmental issue of our time – and in developing mitigation
measures to address the climate change effects," he said.
He expects his session to "explore the progress and promise of forest
genetics/genomics research with the objective of defining priorities for
future research in order to maximize its impact on genetic biodiversity
conservation, adaptation and sustainable forest management, especially
under climate change conditions."
Among the benefits he foresees from this research are:
- Development of enormous genetic and genomic resources of forest trees,
helpful for forest biology and ecology research, forest management, tree
improvement, conservation of genetic resources and other aspects;
- Development of scientifically sound forest management policies, plans
and practices, specifically tailored for a species, forest ecosystem,
region and area. (These plans could be viewed as similar to genome-based
personalized medicine in humans);
- Effectively dealing with environmental issues, such as climate change,
by understanding the acclimation and adaptation of forest trees to climate
change and developing mitigation measures;
- Assisting ecological and economic sustainability of forest resources,
and stability and functioning of forest ecosystems by conservation and
sustainable management of forests under current and anticipated future
climate change conditions.
Genetics/genomics research is relatively expensive, he said, and it would
be helpful if there was recognition by funding agencies that longer-term
(many forest trees take several decades to produce advanced-generation
pedigrees) and higher-levels of funding research commitment is necessary.
It would also help to make genetic diversity assessment mandatory for ISO,
FSC, SFI and CSA certification of sustainable forest management, he said.
"Furthermore," he added, "forest genetics and genomics courses and
training
should be mandatory at the forestry undergraduate level so that foresters
are adequately trained."
He hopes this session will help increase public and professional awareness
of the huge role that forest genetics/genomics can play in conservation and
sustainable management of forests and in dealing with climate change
issues.
And, Dr. Rajora said, it should be emphasized that all genetics and
genomics research does not lead to genetically engineered trees. It is only
one of the minor outcomes.
"Deployment of genetically engineered trees within the natural forest is a
major concern and should not be done," he said. "Deployment of genetically
engineered trees may have its own place, but in the planted forrest that is
well isolated from the natural forest, or when all other options are
exhausted.
"For example," he continued, "if there is no other way to develop a
disease- or insect-resistant tree other than genetic engineering, in order
to save the species from extinction, application of genetic engineering is
well justified. However, all precautions and measures must be taken so that
transgenes do not contaminate the related natural gene pool."
*________________________________*
*The September 18-22 Congress in Freiburg will celebrate IUFRO's 125th
anniversary. Founded in 1892 in Eberswalde Germany, IUFRO has grown to
unite more than 15,000 scientists (who cooperate in IUFRO on a voluntary
basis) in almost 700 member organizations in more than 120 countries.IUFRO
promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the
understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and
trees. It disseminates scientific knowledge to stakeholders and
decision-makers and contributes to forest policy and on-the-ground forest
management.About 2000 scientists from 89 countries are expected to attend
the Congress. The Genetics/Genomics session in Freiburg will be one of 172
scientific sessions that will cover a wide array of topics dealing with
various aspects of forest research.See you at the IUFRO 125th Anniversary
Congress in Freiburg, Germany!Look out for #IUFRO2017
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/iufro2017?f=tweets&vertical=default&src=hash>
on Twitter and @iufro2017 <https://www.facebook.com/iufro2017> on Facebook!*
*________________________________*
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: http://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #55, published in September
2017by IUFRO Headquarters, Vienna, Austria.Available for download at:
**http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
http://www.iufro.org/ <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=104>*
If you do not wish to receive *IUFRO Spotlight* publications, please email
us at: office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org>
*Imprint: http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
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