The growth of seven exotic true fir (Abies) species and native Abies alba have been compared in three provenance trials in the Czech Republic, at the relatively advanced ages of 44, 38, and 35 years respectively. A clear differentiation is observable between the species. The closely related species group of A. alba and A. cephalonica appears rather heterogeneous in its phenotypic behavior. A. alba provenances show superiority, but also a high differentiation. Productivity of provenances of A. cephalonica fall behind A. alba; however A. cilicica and A. pinsapo provenances have shown total mortality. The high potential of A. grandis is confirmed by outstanding growth; provenances from the coastal plain in Washington State performed best. A. procera grows slower than A. grandis, but still faster than A. alba provenances. Health risks, extreme ecologic distances of transfer, trend shifts of growth rate, and rank change with age are uncertainties that require necessary caution when selecting provenances for importation. In recent years, public and institutional perceptions concerning the introduction of non-native tree species and provenances has shifted, and the practice is no longer seen as necessarily inappropriate.

ABSTRACT:Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) provenances from Central Europe (Hercynian-Sudetes area) were evaluated in a long-term experimental project (Germany-Czech Republic) 36 years after the outplanting. The growth characteristics, mortality and qualitative morphological characteristics of 64 spruce provenances were evaluated on the experimental plot Ledeč-Zaháj, in the Czech-Moravian Highland region of the Czech Republic, in typical conditions for Norway spruce cultivation. Results show 15-20% differences in height and radial growth between provenances and insignificant differences in qualitative characteristics e.g. stem shape, branch density and shape and also health state. Environmental variables that significantly influenced production characteristics include longitude, latitude and altitude of the original locations of the provenances, while average annual temperature and average annual precipitation were not significant. Given conditions of the experimental plot, optimal production occurred with those provenances originally from 49-51 N latitude and 13-20 E longitude.

Research Highlights: Data of advanced-age provenance tests were reanalyzed applying a new approach, to directly estimate the growth of populations at their original sites under individually generated future climates. The results revealed the high resilience potential of fir species. Background and Objectives: The growth and survival of silver fir under future climatic scenarios are insufficiently investigated at the xeric limits. The selective signature of past climate determining the current and projected growth was investigated to analyze the prospects of adaptive silviculture and assisted transfer of silver fir populations, and the introduction of non-autochthonous species. Materials and Methods: Hargreaves’ climatic moisture deficit was selected to model height responses of adult populations. Climatic transfer distance was used to assess the relative drought stress of populations at the test site, relating these to the past conditions to which the populations had adapted. ClimateEU and ClimateWNA pathway RCP8.5 data served to determine individually past, current, and future moisture deficit conditions. Besides silver fir, other fir species from South Europe and the American Northwest were also tested. Results: Drought tolerance profiles explained the responses of transferred provenances and predicted their future performance and survival. Silver fir displayed significant within-species differentiation regarding drought stress response. Applying the assumed drought tolerance limit of 100 mm relative moisture deficit, most of the tested silver fir populations seem to survive their projected climate at their origin until the end of the century. Survival is likely also for transferred Balkan fir species and for grand fir populations, but not for the Mediterranean species. Conclusions: The projections are less dramatic than provided by usual inventory assessments, considering also the resilience of populations. The method fills the existing gap between experimentally determined adaptive response and the predictions needed for management decisions. It also underscores the unique potential of provenance tests.

Cryostorage techniques have been developed to preserve the most valuable genotype from an endangered native population of Populus × canescens Aiton Sm. (grey poplar), which is located in the floodplain forest in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic and which is difficult to propagate using cuttings. The prevailing genotype with valuable traits was selected by the simple sequence repeats method. This genotype was used to determine the most effective pre-cultivation conditions (cold hardening, and cold hardening combine with osmotic treatment) on dehydration tolerance and post-thaw recovery of the grey poplar shoot tips. The pre-cultivation and application of a modified plant vitrification solution 3 (PVS3) considerable reduced the freezable water content in shoot tips. Evaluation after eight weeks of regrowth revealed that simultaneous effect of cold and osmotic pre-treatments and application of PVS3 for 120 min enabled 93.3 ± 5.8 % recovery. The results emphasize the importance of the pre-cultivation conditions, which significantly improved the postthaw recovery of the grey poplar explants.

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