Trees4Future: Gaining greater efficiency by sharing databases and expertise
The project Trees4Future is integrating European knowledge and expertise on forest genetics, forestry and wood technology. The 28 expert organisations participating in the project are currently working on a platform for sharing information. Metla and the European Forest Institute are the Finnish project partners.
Trees4Future is a European research project aimed at integrating, developing and improving major forest genetics and forestry research infrastructures. The intention is to provide the European forestry research community and other research communities with easy and comprehensive access to sources of information and expertise that are presently scattered.
Providing strong support to the European forest industry, through new tools the project will enhance the efficiency of research and make it beneficial to the whole of society. For example, research could benefit the adaptation of forests to climate change and the production of eco-efficient wood-based products and services. Trees4Future services are focused on genetics, tree breeding, wood science and technology and modelling/data analysis. Tools accessible via the platform include genetic databanks, biobanks, laboratories and various models.
The project is funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. Metla is one of the 28 project partners. These operate in 13 different countries and represent broad expertise, from tree/population level up to forest landscape level. Launched on 1 November 2011, the project has funding for four years. After this, Trees4Future network intends to continue its operations.
Demand for Metla’s expertise
Metla is participating in six of the eleven subprojects under the Trees4Future project. It is playing a key role in the development of a user-friendly portal providing access to key infrastructures in the forestry sector, including databases, tools for analysing the current situation and projection models. The portal is already available on the Trees4Future website, with a list of databases that will be accessible in the future. Metla provides some systems for the Trees4Future portal. These mainly include databases, but also analytical tools related to forest genetics, tree breeding and wood research.
Within the Trees4Future project, the partners offer both public and private-sector forestry researchers around Europe the opportunity to use 28 state-of-the-art facilities related to genetics and genomics, tree breeding, wood research, as well as modelling and data analysis. These facilities include genetic databanks, biobanks, laboratories, models and decision support systems.
The two facilities provided by Metla are the cryopreservation laboratory and the vegetative propagation laboratory, both located in Metla’s Punkaharju unit. They can be used by researchers and other experts from EU and associated countries. Applications can be filed via the Trees4Future website. There are two stages in the application process. In addition, the Trees4Future project offers the Finnish forest sector (e.g. the industry, research institutes and universities) access to facilities that are unavailable in Finland.
At the end of 2013, Metla will organise a workshop in Brussels, under the theme “Access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits (ABS)”. The aim is to discuss the implications of the planned global ABS protocol for the European forest sector, and for forest research and tree breeding in particular.
Further information
- Researcher Egbert Beuker , tel. +358 29 532 4223, egbert.beuker(a)metla.fi
- Trees4Future