Non-Native Forest Tree Species in Europe: The Question of Seed Origin in Afforestation
Non-native forest tree species have been introduced in Europe since the 16th century, but only in the second half of the 20th century the significance of the seed source origin for their economic use was recognized, resulting in the establishment of numerous provenance trials at a national, regional, European and International level, as those led by IUFRO. Breeding programs have also been launched in the continent for the most economically important species.
Foto: COST LD14116-provenance area č. 213 Zbiroh with Abies grandis
As part of the activities of the international project FP-1403 NNEXT Cost Action (Non-native tree species for European forests: experiences, risks and opportunities), a comprehensive analysis of conclusions and recommendations based on the results of verification and provenance experiments of twenty participating countries, including the Czech Republic, was carried out in 2014–2018. In this analysis, attention was paid to five selected species of non-native tree species, namely Douglas fir, grand fir, Sitka spruce, Scots pine and acacia. As the result of the analysis, it was a compilation of recommendations of suitable provenance across Europe for each species verified.
Josef Frýdl
Introduction photo: Pseudotsuga menziesii