Referent
Identifying and selecting forest genetic resources in Centre-Val de Loire
Various climate scenarios point to a sharp drop in the productivity of French forests. During the renewal process, the choice of genetic resources is fundamental. It can have a lasting impact on the forest, in terms of wood quality, landscape and biodiversity. Foresters have a choice between renewing the forest identically by natural regeneration or planting, enriching it or transforming it with other provenances or species. To make this choice, it is necessary to know not only the resilience of the species in place to climate change, but also that of new provenances and species not present and of equivalent quality.
The GenForFutur project will :
- Locate, map, characterize and identify genetic resources (Scots pine and oak) installed in Centre Val-de-Loire,
- Qualify their resilience to climate change,
- Install an oak arboretum to test new resources,
- Assess public and professional perceptions of the need to adapt forests to climate change, and of the new practices foresters are considering.
Objectives & methodology
This project will mobilize innovative technologies to characterize the genetic resources available in the Centre-Val de Loire region and assess their resilience to climate change. It will also test new, potentially more adapted resources, and study the socio-economic impact of these modifications. To achieve this, new connected tools will be used to characterize the resource, monitor its evolution and enable users to improve their knowledge of genetic resources. The expectations of all forest users will be taken into account in order to propose solutions for a resilient forest. In order to propose solutions that are both economically and socially acceptable, social representations and perceptions on the issue of new provenances, varieties and species will also be studied.
Funding
351 k€
