Dr. Ledig will give a keynote address on Friday, August 29, for the ConForGen Conference.  The abstract of his presentation is provided below.

Forest Genetic Resources and Transboundary Conservation

F. Thomas LEDIG, Barry JAQUISH and J. Jesús VARGAS HERNÁNDEZ

In the last three decades, most advocates for the conservation of forest genetic resources concluded that in situ conservation had significant advantages over ex situ conservation.  The argument was partially based on cost: in situ conservation could piggyback on other uses of forests, such as recreation, research, environmental services, and even timber exploitation.  The genetic advantage was that in situ populations were free to evolve in response to changing environments.  However, rapid climate change has muddied the situation.  In a century or less, within the span of one generation, local populations of forest trees may find themselves so maladapted that in situ conservation may no longer be possible.  The new call is for assisted migration, the intentional movement of genetic materials to habitats projected to be suitable at some future date.

Assisted migration is not only necessary to maintain genetic resources of value to breeders, but also may be necessary merely to prevent extinction.  Conservation genetics is about preventing extinction: it is concerned with the genetic conditions for survival, reproduction, and continuing evolution of species or populations.  The term was coined by Otto Frankel who, himself, came from a background in conservation of genetic resources.  Conservation genetics could be called the genetics of small populations because it deals with loss of diversity, inbreeding, reduction in gene flow, and accumulation of deleterious mutations, dynamics particularly critical in small, fragmented populations.

The study of rare species illustrates the problems associated with these genetic processes.  Mexican spruces (Picea ssp.), reduced in range and population size and fragmented by warming after the last glacial period, are case examples.  They are now relicts existing only in specialized habitats.   Other North American spruces illustrate the effects of past climate change as well; some conifer species show genetic effects of migration following the ice ages.  Climate envelope models project mass displacements of these and other species; in some cases, complete elimination from their present geographic ranges.  Only assisted migration or ex situ conservation will preserve these resources.

In assisted migration, it may be necessary to move populations across borders: from the U.S. to Canada or from Mexico to the U.S., for example.  A plan for assisted migration of Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana), an endemic to California and Oregon, to British Columbia is an example.  While the case of Brewer spruce is relatively straightforward, there may be restrictions on movement of other species in other situations under provisions of the Convention on Biodiversity, CITES, the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Canada’s Species at Risk Act, or Mexican law.  Transboundary movement could conceivably create problems by introduction of potentially invasive plants or importation of plant pests along with the forest species of interest.  Nevertheless, we conclude that assisted migration will probably not be faced with insurmountable restrictions within North America.

Transfers may also involve movement outside North America.  Presently, many North American species are planted extensively in the Austral Pacific, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe.  Documenting and managing these ex situ genetic resources is an important goal for the near future.

Full Professor and member of the Board of Permanent Officers of Yale University for 14 years. Joined the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station in 1979 as Director of the Institute of Forest Genetics, located in Berkeley and Placerville, California. Currently, Senior Scientist in the Pacific Southwest Research Station and adjunct professor at the University of California-Davis.

Led two binational gene conservation projects – with Mexico and Australia.  Served on the Policy Advisory Board of the University of California's Genetic Resources Conservation Program (1987-92).  Member of the scientific committee of the Bull Foundation for conservation (1992- 95). Member of the University of California-Davis Working Group on Conservation Biology and Agriculture (1988); participant in the Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Biological Diversity (1989-91); consultant for the National Academy of Science/National Research Council on management of forest genetic resources (1988-90) and for the Office of Technology Assessment on their report, "Preparing for an Uncertain Climate" (1992-93).

Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Secretary (1985- ) of the UN/FAO/North American Forest Commission's Forest Genetic Resources Working Group.  Member of IUCN Species Survival Commission/Conifer Specialist Group; Society for Conservation Biology; International Society of Tropical Foresters; Botanical Society of America; California Botanical Society; Society of American Foresters; and American Society of Plant Taxonomists.

Over 120 publications in genetics and physiology. Honors: four Distinguished Publication awards (1983, 1988, 1992, 2001) and Milestone Publication award (2003) from the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station, and its Outstanding Scientist award (1988); Schaffer Lecturer at the University of British Columbia (1988); Glaser Distinguished Professor at Florida International University (1992); Barrington Moore Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in biological research (1992) from the Society of American Foresters; Distinguished Services Award from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (2000); elected AAAS Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2002); and North American Forest Commission award (2008).

Current research interests are in population genetics and evolution of Mexican and Californian conifers, the role of genic diversity in natural populations, and conservation biology.