CGN Forest Genetic Resources

Forest Genetic Resources

Having almost disappeared from Dutch forests, the wild apple and black poplar have been conserved in field collections of the genebank for indigenous trees and shrubs.

The Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN) advises Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch government organisation for forestry and nature reserves, on the management of the national genebank for trees and shrubs (ex situ conservation).

This is one of the ways that CGN stimulates the conservation and sustainable use of the genetic diversity of indigenous tree and shrub species. This is important as trees and shrubs can only survive climate change or new diseases if they can draw on significant genetic diversity.

CGN has a very solid knowledge. The driven and committed people are indispensable for the maintenance of our Dutch indigenous trees and shrubs.
Lammert Kragt - Team leader Staatsbosbeheer Zaad & Plantsoen

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    What we can do for you

    Advice on genebank material

    CGN advises the Dutch government and develops methods for the conservation of genetic diversity in forest trees and shrubs. We use this knowledge to support and stimulate the in situ (place of origin) and ex situ conservation of forest genetic resources and for sustainable forest management.

    National List of Varieties and Provenances of Trees

    We advise the Board for Plant Varieties on which basic material should be included in the National List of Varieties and Provenances of Trees based on inspections and value for cultivation and use research. This list is a tool for forest development and landscaping, and includes various seed sources from the genebank. It enables rare species such as the wild apple and black poplar to be returned to the Dutch landscape.

    CGN also researches the value for cultivation and use of provenances. In so-called provenance tests, we test the level of adaptation of forest reproductive material to the Dutch climate conditions and their growth capacity, wood quality and health by comparing Dutch provenances to seed sources from other climate zones.

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