Chair: Mr Jason Hubert (United Kingdom)

Vice Chair: Mr Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark)

Conservation and use of forest genetic diversity is a corner stone of sustainable forest management. However, this fact often remains unrecognized while sustainable forest management is discussed at national, regional or international level. In 2003, the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) addressed the importance of conservation of forest genetic diversity as an integral part of sustainable forest management under Vienna Resolution 4 (Conserving and enhancing forest biological diversity in Europe). Subsequently, the EUFORGEN Steering Committee decided to establish a new thematic Network to promote this integration during Phase III (2005-2009).

The Forest Management Network was formally established in January 2005 to promote practical implementation of gene conservation and appropriate use of genetic resources as an integral part of sustainable forest management. The thematic Network will collaborate closely with the three species-oriented Networks and its representatives include persons with national responsibility in areas related to national forest programmes, forest management, forest reproductive material or forest policy.

The planned activities of the Network include facilitating integration of forest genetic resources issues into national forest programmes and other forest-related policies. Also, the Network will develop protocols to evaluate genetic consequences of different management practices and identify genetically appropriate management practices in collaboration with forest managers and policy makers.

The first meeting of the Forest Management Network will be held in Lambrecht, Germany on 3-5 November 2005. The meeting will discuss the Network’s future activities as well as the outputs of the species-oriented Network meetings held earlier during 2005.