FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE

“FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES INFORMATION” (F.A.O. Forestry Occasional Paper 1973/1) contained a questionnaire which sought to obtain information on the amount of interest among foresters in a recurrent newsletter type of publication on forest genetic resources, and on the subject matter of most interest within that broad field.

Overall response

Rather over 1,000 copies of the questionnaire were distributed in English, 140 in French and 70 in Spanish. Up to 1 September 1973, 190 had been returned. The initial response was rapid (over 10% replied within the first 1½ months) and favourable. However, a much higher total response is needed than the present 15% in order to justify the continuing publication of F.G.R.I. as a recurrent document. For this reason, a further copy of the questionnaire is enclosed and readers who have not already completed a copy are urged to do so as soon as possible and to return it to:

Chief, Forest Management Branch
F.A.O.
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy

In the absence of a returned questionnaire, we shall have to assume that the recipient is not interested.

Evidence of overall support for F.G.R.I.

Of the 190 questionnaires returned to date, 100% indicated that the proposed type of publication would fulfil a useful function and 185, or 97%, indicated interest in receiving a personal copy.

Seven replies mentioned regional newsletters, and six mentioned Silvae Genetica as existing publications of similar scope, but 177 or 91% considered that no existing publication covered the same field. Silvae Genetica has, of course, long been recognised as the top international scientific journal for tree breeders and forest geneticists, but the danger of overlap appears slight, since much of the emphasis in Silvae Genetica is on scientific papers presenting detailed results of original research, while F.G.R.I. will be concerned mainly with summarised information, tabulated lists of seed lots or provenances available, and news items of seed collecting expeditions planned or completed.

Subject matter preference

A summary of replies to the questions on subject matter preference is attached. It should be noted that not all correspondents answered every question. It is clear that evaluation and exploration/collection were the most “popular” topics. “Forest Genetic Resources Information 1973” reflects this preference, particularly in regard to exploration and collection.

At the other end of the scale, information from related fields in agricultural plant genetic resources elicited easily the least interest of any topic, confirming editorial feeling that any attempt to combine a newsletter on crop plant and forest genetic resources would not satisfy either group of readers. The specialised subject of data recording, storage and retrieval also received less than average support.

The questionnaires received to date have provided valuable guidance as to the proper scope of F.G.R.I. But we still need more massive evidence of interest to justify its continuation.

Replies to “Forest Genetic Resources Information” Questionnaire

* Because of a printing error in the English and Spanish versions of the questionnaire a number of correspondents did not answer questions 4a and 4b separately.