EUFORGEN Webinar Series: case study on ash dieback and its consequences on genetic diversity
Rising temperatures across Europe, extreme weather events, higher fire risk or increased vulnerability to biotic disturbances such as pests and diseases are some of the consequences of climate change on forests. In the case of biotic outbreaks, scientists have been investigating how to make tree populations more resilient from a genetic perspective and to understand alternatives for tree conservation in case of diseases or pests.
To further explore this issue and understand today's scientific advances, the EUFORGEN Secretariat organised in February a webinar series entitled "Biotic outbreak management of the Genetic Conservation Units Network: case study on ash dieback", which consisted of three online sessions open to the public. The virtual sessions featured a panel of researchers and scientific experts to examine the specific problem of ash dieback in Europe from different angles, with an average of more than 180 participants per webinar.
Webinar #1 - 3 February 2023
This online session was focused on the spread and invasion of diseases and pests affecting ash populations. The guest speakers for Webinar #1 were Michelle Cleary, forest pathologist, and Rimvydas Vasaitis, researcher and a field mycologist, both from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The two webinar talks focused on the aspects of ash dieback disease spread as well as the emerging invasion of emerald ash borer in these tree populations.
Webinar #2 - 10 February 2023
This online session was focused on the genetic tolerance and resistance to ash dieback in populations of this tree species. The guest speakers for Webinar #2 were Richard Buggs, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at Queen Mary University of London; Ben Bubner, Head of the Unit Pathogen Resistance Research at Thuenen Institute of Forest Genetic; and Heino Konrad, Head of the Unit for Ecological Genetics, Department of Forest Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, at the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW). The three talks in the webinar focused on aspects of genetic resistance and tolerance of ash populations to the impact of forest diseases.
Webinar #3 - 17 February 2023
This online session was focused on natural selection in ash populations related to the spreading of ash dieback and its genomic evidence in an unmanaged woodland. The guest speakers for Webinar #3 were Erik Dahl Kjaer, Professor in Genetics of woody plant species at the University of Copenhagen; and Richard Buggs, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at Queen Mary University of London.
