August 1, 2023 10:30 a.m. 

Dorena Genetic Resource Center on the Umpqua National Forest hosted a National Applied Disease and Pest Resistance Workshop July 24th through July 28th.

A UNF release said the last time a national meeting was held on this topic was 1982. The workshop, which was invitation only, had forty people in attendance. Almost every forest tree resistant program in the United States and one program from Canada was represented at the workshop. During the meeting, program topics ranged from starting a resistance program to tree breeding and tree resistant programs by genus.

The release said diseases and pests, particularly non-native ones, have had and will continue to have a major impact on forest tree species, their associated ecosystems, and their ecosystem services provided to society. In many cases, development of genetic resistance within impacted species and use of resistant seedlings for restoration and reforestation will be key.

The U.S. Forest Service is a world leader in applied resistance breeding with several successful programs, many partners and cooperators. Due to the increased threats on forests across North America, officials determined it was the ideal time to convene a workshop to examine lessons learned, how to fast track a resistance program, and optimize ongoing resistance programs to help ensure they success.

The Dorena Genetic Resource Center is located on the Umpqua National Forest near College Grove. The center, which was created in 1966, has three of the top resistance programs in the world for developing resistance to non-native diseases. It is known internationally for its work.

More information about the center is linked: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=stelprdb5279775