Forest reproductive material - What is it?
Forest reproductive material (or germplasm) is any sexual and asexual material, such as seeds, pollen and cuttings, from which new trees and forests can be reproduced. Such material plays a vital role in forestry, as it is the means by which previous generations of trees and forests produce future generations through artificial or natural regeneration. It is also the means by which the quality and quantity of new trees and forests can be maintained or improved. The sequence is as follows:
Previous generations of trees and forests | Parent trees producing seeds, shoots, etc. harvested or naturally disseminated | Forest reproductive material (seeds, vegetative material etc.) | Seedlings, cuttings etc. artificially propagated or naturally regenerated | Next generations of trees and forests |
Forest reproductive material is thus an essential key to sustainable forest management and the conservation of forest genetic resources.
This site has been designed to help you get an overview of forest reproductive material and find out information you may require quickly and easily. You can think of the site as a workshop in which we have provided a tool-rack (these pages), showing you the information tools you can use - the jobs they do, the techniques used and where you can find them.
Please read the next topics on how to make best use of this site before continuing further as we explain how your particular needs for information can be met quickly and effectively.
- Identifying your needs
- Checklist summary
- Scientific base