Working parties
Scientific and technical problems related to poplars and willows are investigated by six working parties of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) dealing with: genetics, conservation and improvement; production systems; environmental applications; insect pests; diseases; harvesting and utilization of wood.
Members of the working parties meet in regular sessions every four years or through "virtual" networks to exchange ideas and develop proposals, which are then presented to member countries for adoption in formal plenary sessions. It is the activities of the working parties that have formed the basis for progress of the IPC in recent years.
Some of the achievements of the working parties have included:
- identification of existing outbreaks of insect pests or diseases and early warning of their potential spread;
- emphasizing the importance of quarantine and sanitary measures for the movement of plant material;
- stressing the need for the conservation of native populations of poplars and willows in order to conserve genetic diversity as one basis for tree breeding;
- adoption of conventions for the protection of breeder's rights to facilitate the exchange of superior cultivars;
- recognition that poplar and willow plantations may fulfil multiple goals in land use systems giving environmental, social and economic benefits, e.g.
- produce a commodity for which demand is rapidly increasing while reducing the pressure on natural ecosystems;
- fix carbon dioxide while producing wood;
- diversify the environment with landscape mechanisms that provide shelter and food for a wide spectrum of animals;
- provide new sources of income for rural communities while protecting the environment. - balancing use of biotechnology, based upon sound scientific evidence and research to maximize benefits, while minimizing potential hazards.
There are often linkages between issues of concern to the various working parties, for example, there may be a relationship between an insect infestation and susceptibility to disease for which tree breeding may offer the solution. Since 1996, members of the working parties have thus been meeting in joint sessions since 1996, and have increasingly been working across these boundaries.