The World’s Network of Forest Science

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Conference highlights from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
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The IUFRO international conference entitled “Challenges and Opportunities in Genetics of Five-Needle Pines and Rusts of Forest Trees Research: Conservation, Evolution and Sustainable Management in a Changing Climate” was held in Fort Collins (Colorado, USA) from 15 to 20 June 2014.

The conference brought together for the first time two working groups within the IUFRO network (WP 02.02.15 Breeding and Genetic Resources of Five-Needle Pines & WP 7.02.05 Rusts of Forest Trees) and the Strobusphere group. In total, the conference gathered 105 scientists from around the world (Austria, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, USA, Vietnam).

Topics at the conference focused on advances in genetic resources conservation, genomics, rust resistance, the impacts of climate change and evolutionary dynamics. In addition to two days of plenary and concurrent sessions, participants were invited on three fieldtrips to visit the stunning Rocky Mountains: in southern Wyoming (Pinus flexilis ecosystems); the Rocky Mountain National Park (P. flexilis ecosystems); Mount Goliath and Mount Evans (Pinus aristata ecosystems).

Key topics addressed were:

  • Advances in genomics in forest trees (Pinus lambertiana genome) and rusts of forest trees (Cronartium spp and Melampsora spp. genomes)
  • Work on rust resistance in forest trees
  • The biology, epidemiology, and host-pathogen interactions
  • The conservation of genetic resources of five-needle pines
  • The impact of climate change on five-needle pines

French research was particularly well represented with five participants from INRA (Nancy-Lorraine & Orleans). Among these were three researchers from the INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center’s Joint Research Unit on Tree/Microorganism Interactions (UMR IAM), thanks to financial support from LabEx ARBRE.

For more information, contact :  P. Frey; pascal.frey@nancy.inra.fr