Publication

Genetic diversity is an essential element of tree species adaptation to climate change and other environmental changes. While several schemes have been set up during the past 30 years to monitor the health and biodiversity of forests in Europe, none of them expressly collects information about status and trends of genetic diversity. EUFORGEN has emphasized the importance of genetic monitoring as part of its previous activities and more recently, the Steering Committee established a working group to review genetic monitoring methods and to propose options for creating a pan-European genetic monitoring system for genetic conservation units of forest trees. This report presents the findings and recommendations of the working group.