Forests are key elements of the European bioeconomy. To enhance provision of their ecosystem services, harnessing forest genetic resources is essential. OptFORESTS will support the conservation and sustainable use of the forest genetic resources (FGR) by:

i) conducting research on the selection of diverse forest reproductive material, including mixtures, adapted to future climates,

ii) fostering sustainable use and resilience of natural forests,

iii) helping expand and diversify nursery production,

iv) developing nature-based solutions, tools and cultural trajectories to promote forest biodiversity and ecosystem services,

v) demonstrating biodiversity restoration solutions.

OptFORESTS will strongly contribute to the EU key strategic orientation ‘restoring Europe’s ecosystems and biodiversity, and managing sustainably natural resources to ensure food security and a clean and healthy environment’, and in particular to the ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ destination, by providing new basic and applied research, as well as policy support, on the role of FGR in enhancing biodiversity, sustainable forest ecosystems management, forest-product supply chains and the nurseries sector.

The project brings together 20 partner organisations from research, higher education, the public and private forestry sector, including end-users. These organizations cover seven main disciplines: forest genetics, tree breeding, forestry, environmental science, economics, sociology, and political science. The coordinating institution is INRAE (France).

Goals

• Generate research outputs supporting the choice of more diverse forest genetic materials adapted to future climates, and inform assisted gene flow, migration and biodiversity supporting practices;

• Foster the sustainable use, adaptation and resilience of naturally-regenerated forests;

• Develop methods to expand and diversify nurseries production;

• Analyze and develop nature-based solutions, tools and new cultural trajectories;

• Demonstrate biodiversity restoration solutions for degraded forest ecosystems;

Expected results

• Recommendations for deployment of adaptable forest genetic materials matched to future climates;

• European network of next-generation common gardens established, containing provenance and species mixtures and unique tree lineages;

• Forest management and breeding strategies that optimize the use of genetic diversity for adaptation delineated;

• Enrichment plantations in declining forests and demonstration plots in ecosystem restoration projects;

• Proposals for expansion of capacity and increased cooperation among nurseries;

• Socially acceptable adaptive solutions to improve biodiversity and ecosystem services based on forest genetic materials;

• Linking of FOREMATIS and EUFGIS Information Systems, and recommendations on the traceability of the forest genetic materials.

Project activities:

The project comprises 6 work packages as follows:

WP1 – Coordination and project management;

WP2 – Enhancing the diversity of forest genetic resources in use and conservation based on common garden trials;

WP3 – New generation common garden trials to promote biodiversity and climate change adaptation;

WP4 – Forest management and genetic diversity;

WP5 – Breeding with and for high genetic diversity;

WP6 – Provisions of forest reproductive material for the future Europe forests;

WP7 – FGR-related economy-governance-practice for biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe;

WP8 – Communication and Information Systems expansion and link.

Partenes

1. Institut National de Recherche pour l’Aagriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) – coordonator
2. Luonnonvarakeskus (Luke)
3. Gozdarski Inštitut Slovenije (GIS)
4. Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD)
5. Københavns Universitet (UCPH)
6. Bundesforschungs- und Ausbildungszentrum für Wald, Naturgefahren und Landschaft (BFW)
7. European Forest Institute (EFI)
8. Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, M.P. (CSIC)
9. CESKA ZEMEDELSKA UNIVERZITA V PRAZE (CZU)
10. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)
11. Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Silvicultură Marin Drăcea (INCDS)
12. Norsk Institutt for Bioøkonomi (NIBIO)
13. Technische Universität München (TUM)
14. NRAE Transfert SAS (IT)
15. ETIFOR SRL (ETIFOR)
16. Office National des Forêts (ONF)
17. Empresa de Transformación Agraria, S.A., S.M.E, M.P. (TRAGSA)
18. Executive Forest Agency (FSCS)
19. Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL (WSL)
20. Forest Research, Northern Research Station