Joint EVOLTREE-FORGENIUS Conference / Third Biannual EVOLTREE Conference
Integrative Diversity of Forest Ecosystems

Sessions & Keynote

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  Session 1 - New tools for science to reach practise

   

  Keynote speaker (photo) : David O’Brien, NatureScot, Inverness, UK & Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, United Kingdom

  Title of presentation: "Bridging the gaps between science, policy and practice"

  Chair: Mari Rusanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland

  Scientific information is the foundation for wise decision-making, and it is the responsibility of scientists to make their research results and conclusions widely available for different uses. However, reaching the various end-user groups outside the scientific community may be challenging. In this session we will explore tools and ways to make the scientific knowledge usable and accessible to a broad audience.

  We welcome presentations on solutions addressing different levels of decision making, be it policy-related or hands-on work in forests.

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  Session 2 - Forest Adaptation: Improving Resilience to Biotic and Abiotic Pressures

   

  Keynote speaker (photo) : Silvia Matesanz, ReyJuan Carlos University (URJC), Madrid, (Spain)

  Title of presentation: "Phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution in Mediterranean gypsum endemics: insights into climate change response"

  Chair: Marcela van Loo, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Vienna, Austria

  Forests worldwide face diverse challenges from climate change, pests, diseases, and other environmental stressors. Understanding the adaptive capacity of forest trees and their associated biota is crucial for enhancing ecosystem resilience. This session invites contributions that explore and uncover adaptations to biotic and abiotic stressors in forest ecosystems. We welcome a broad spectrum of research that advances theory, methodology, cutting-edge approaches, or practical applications in forest adaptation, as well as studies with implications for biodiversity conservation, forest management, and policy. Submissions from diverse disciplines and systems are encouraged to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and innovative strategies for strengthening forest resilience.

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  Session 3 - Navigating Multiple Global Change Pressures: The Role of Phenotypic Variability

   

  Keynote speaker (photo) : Marylou Mantova (France), Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, PIAF, Clermont‐Ferrand, France

  Title of presentation: "In the era of change: when genetics, physiology and modelling collide for more resilient forests"

  Chair: Maurizio Mencuccini, Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Application - CREAF, Barcelona, Spain

  The phenotype controls how a tree responds to, while at the same time affects, its abiotic and biotic environment. Phenotypic diversity in forest populations can create complex feedback loops affecting both community and ecosystem scale processes. Faced with the more frequent and intense extreme events typical of our changing climate, tree phenotypes are currently challenged in novel ways that can lead to decline and even extended population dieback. Despite the centrality of these studies, phenotyping traits important for survival under extreme events remains difficult. While progress has been made in developing approaches for saplings under controlled conditions, new approaches are required to determine functional traits at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales for mature trees in the field. This session will present examples of methodological and conceptual advances in this field and how they can inform forest conservation and management.

   

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  Session 4 - Breeding for Resilience: Integrating Novel Phenotyping & Genomics for Urgent Adaptive Solutions

   

  Keynote speaker (photo) : Fikret Isik, North Carolina State University, United States of America

  Title of presentation: "Tree Breeding in the Age of Genomics for Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities".

  Chair: Jan Stejskal,Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic

  As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, the imperative to develop resilient and adaptable tree species has never been greater. This session will examine how advanced phenotyping technologies and genomic tools are being leveraged to inform and accelerate breeding strategies capable of addressing the challenges posed by a rapidly changing environment. Through the integration of high-throughput phenotyping, genomics, and environmental modeling, researchers and practitioners are identifying novel pathways to enhance key adaptive traits, including drought tolerance, disease resistance, and overall ecosystem resilience. The keynote presentation will underscore both the transformative potential and the complexities associated with the application of genomic technologies in tree improvement programs. Additionally, discussions will emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, practical applications, and the emerging technologies critical to the development of the next generation of resilient plant systems.

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  Session 5 - Prioritising forest conservation through genetic diversity

   

  Keynote speaker (photo) : Victoria Sork, University of California, Los Angeles, United states of America

  Title of presentation: "Genetic and genomic strategies for conservation of natural populations of California oaks"

  Chair:  Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin, Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council of Italy, Florence, Italy

  Genetic diversity is a fundamental, though often overlooked, component of forest biodiversity. Recent impressive advances in the availability of genomic resources and analytical tools have vastly expanded our ability to characterize the genetic diversity of forests. Information derived from next-gen data offers a wide range of applications for in-situ and ex-situ conservation and, in particular, for evaluating the need to assist forests' migration in response to climatic and environmental pressures. This session will present the latest advances in this direction and discuss cutting-edge knowledge on the adaptive patterns of forest trees.

Program

Joint EVOLTREE/FORGENIUS Conference - Integrative Diversity of Forest Ecosystems

Detailed Programme

Logistics

Organization

Joint EVOLTREE/FORGENIUS Conference - Integrative Diversity of Forest Ecosystems

Organizing committee 

Contact us for general questions (Delphine Grivet: dgrivet@inia.csic.es) or for invoice/certificate (Diana Barba: dbarba@inia.csic.es).

• Delphine Grivet, ICIFOR, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
• Ricardo Alía, ICIFOR, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
• Diana Barba Egido, ICIFOR, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
• Marie-Claude Bouhedi, INRAE, Avignon, France
• Carola Chiusi, EFI, Barcelona, Spain
• Lidwina Koop, EFI, Barcelona, Spain
• Carmen Paramio, AZIERTA COMUNICACION S.L., Madrid, Spain
• Jessica Walker, INRAE Transfert, Nantes, France

Scientific committee

• Santiago González-Martínez, INRAE Bordeaux, France
• Delphine Grivet, ICIFOR, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
• Marcela van Loo, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Vienna, Austria
• Nicolas Martin, INRAE Avignon, France
• Maurizio Mencuccini, CREAF, Barcelona, Spain
• Mari Rusanen, Luke, Helsinki, Finlande
• Ivan Scotti, INRAE Avignon, France
• Jan Stejskal, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
• Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin, IBB-CNR, Florence, Italy

Evoltree Working Group "Biannual Evoltree Conference"

• Alexandru Lucian Curtu, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
• Felix Gugerli, WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland (head)
• Katrin Heer, Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg, Germany
• Miran Lanšćak, Croatian Forest Research Institute, Jastrebarsko, Croatia
• Sanna Olsson, ICIFOR, INIA-CSIC Madrid, Spain
• Annika Perry, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh, UK
• Tanja Pyhäjärvi, University of Helsinki, Finland
• Christian Rellstab, WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland
• Nataša Šibanc, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia