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Conservation of genetic resources of forest trees in light of climate changes

The preserving of the genetic diversity of the forest ecosystems is the basis for sustainable management and conservation of the natural composition of the forests. Natural forests cover 95% of the total forest area in Croatia and contain different ecological types and a large number of the forest tree species. Accelerated effects of global climate change rising temperatures, falling rainfalls, and occurrence of the extreme weather, directly affect the genetic biodiversity of the species. The main objective of the project is to make recommendations for the conservation of the genetic biodiversity of the forest trees in Croatia. The research is based on the common oak and common beech as a model species. The project is financed by the Croatian Science Foundation in the period from 2014 to 2018. The results of the first year of the research (2014-2015) include activities on international provenance trials and selected seed stands of pedunculate oak (Forest administrations: Karlovac, Našice and Vinkovci) and common beech (Administration Zagreb). Monitoring (survival, height, winter leaf retention, leaf phenology, pathogens and insects) were made on provenance trials and seed stands of both species. The greenhouse experiment was established to study drought stress. The seedlings of common beech were collected from 16 different provenances throughout Croatia. Every provenance was represented with 150 plants, and a total of 2400 plants were collected. Monitoring of seed production of pendulate oak and common beach was conducted in chosen seed stands. The seed material of pendulate oak was collected in 48 collecting traps placed in the stands of different ages (middle-aged, elderly and old forests) in Forest administration vinkovci. The beechnut crops failed in 2015. For this reason, collecting traps will be set next year in chosen beech stands. All planned research activities in the first year were accomplished according to the working plan in project.

climate changes, common beech, conservation, genetic resource, pedunculate oak

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