German Russian Conference on Forest Genetics - Proceedings - Ahrensburg, 2017 November 21-23

The practical applications of forest genetics contribute substantially to sustainable forest management. Genetic data on optimally adapted and productive provenances as well as intensive tree breeding help to produce high quality forest reproductive material. Recent advances in tree genomics and DNA-sequencing techniques provide variable and more efficient tools for application in forestry, such as marker assisted tree breeding, screening for genes responsible for adaptive and economically important traits, and tree improvement. In the last two decades, the application of highly variable gene markers has produced a lot of very useful data on the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of genetic resources of important forest tree species. The recent advances in the development of gene markers for variable diagnostic purposes enable to improve DNA-tests on wood and forest reproductive material including better control for timber origin, species protection and early detection of dangerous infections and diseases. The German-Russian MaRussiA project is a good example of the application of the above mentioned techniques. The Project is focused on aspen (Populus tremula): https://www.thuenen.de/en/fg/projects/current-projects/marussia-gene-marker-for-aspen-in-russia. Objectives: One of the main objectives of the joint German-Russian conference was to communicate the current results and experiences obtained in the MaRussiA project to a group of Russian and German experts in this field. We expected to get valuable feedbacks and recommendations for the remaining tasks within the project. Further, we wanted to get an overview on the state of the art of forest genetic research in both countries. Based on this overview and experiences of past and ongoing co-operation projects, we wanted to identify knowledge gaps and to stimulate the future scientific research and cooperation on these fields in Russia and Germany. Conference venue: The conference was planned and organised by the Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics (Dr. BERND DEGEN, Dr. GEORG VON WÜHLISCH, and Dr. MATTHIAS FLADUNG) together with the George August University of Göttingen (Prof. Dr. KONSTANTIN V. KRUTOVSKY). The conference was held with 25 participants at the 'Hotel am Schloss' in Ahrensburg, Germany from 21th to 23th of November, 2017. Conference structure: General scope sessions: - Tree Breeding and Provenance Research - Genome Research - Population Genetics - DNAidentification methods for wood and forest tree material (for timber tracking, control of forest reproductive material, etc.) - Discussion on future collaborative projects.