Forest Genetic Resources

 

Discussion about Grevillea robusta in Kenya

 

We are about 25 employees working with teaching, research and advisory services in sustainable management of genetic resources of trees and shrubs in Denmark and in developing countries in the tropics.

 

Study Programmes

We teach in courses at BSc, MSc and PhD levels in genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, conservation and use of genetic resources of trees and shrubs, agroforestry, Christmas tree and decoration greenery production, natural resources and ecology, plant breeding, tree seed biology, and applied tree biology and arboriculture.

 

We tutor BSc, MSc and PhD students in these disciplines as well. 

 

Research

We research on:

 

• Trees and shrubs of the future: coupling quantitative and molecular genetics as a basis for sustainable management of genetic resources of trees and shrubs in Denmark and in the tropics, considering globalization, climate change and the fast development of new biotechnological tools.
• Forests, trees and combating poverty (development research): Development of strategies for sustainable use and conservation of genetic resources of trees through larger partnership programmes aiming at capacity building in developing countries in the tropics with particular focus on small holders and on climate change in Africa and Indonesia.

Woman grinding leaves for medicine

 

Advisory services

We provide advice in Denmark on:

 

• Development, management and use of tree seed sources in the light of climate change and multiple use of trees and forests
• Molecular genetic tools: opportunities, limitations, gains and risks.

In the tropics, we provide advice on:

 

• Implementation of sustainable strategies for use and conservation of genetic resources of trees based on larger partnership programmes aiming at capacity building in developing countries in line with Danida policies, including implementation of REDD in practice (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation)

Extension

We communicate and publicise for practicioners:

 

• The Danish work on breeding and mass production of trees and bushes to forestry and to landscape plantings through our Danish Extension Service (technical briefs) and the web-portal on choice of planting material for practice (www.plantevalg.dk)
• Results of our development research through development briefs - policy, development briefs - technical, seed leaflets, technical and training guidelines, and through computer based tools.

Research infrastructure: field trials and laboratory

As a basis for our teaching, research, advisory services and extension we maintain a number of facilities:

• The Arboretum in Hoersholm: a living collection of some 2000 tree and shrub species distributed over approximately 25 ha, which are all documented in a GIS database. The Arboretum also houses nursery and greenhouse facilities for plant production and research activities.
• Throughout Denmark, there are more than 250 active field trials of permanent sample plots for more than 40 species for forest- and landscape purposes.
• Share in several series of international species and provenance trials in the tropics (Teak, Gmelina, Acacia, Prosopis, Neem, Pinus kesiya, West African indigenous fruit trees, Jatropha curcas)
• A DNA laboratory used for molecular-, population-, and genecological studies of trees and bushes in Denmark as well as the Tropics.

Cooperation

We cooperate with the Danish public (the Nature Agency) and private forestry sector, in particular concerning conservation, breeding and mass production of reproductive material. We further cooperate with a large number of international organisations, including ICRAF, FAO, Bioversity International, the Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank and an even larger number of national research and development institutions as well as NGOs in many developing countries.