EvolTree (EVOLution of TREEs) is a European organization connecting academic institutions and research institutes focused on genetics, genomics, and ecology of forest trees. Its current mission is primarily to investigate how forest ecosystems evolve and respond to global environmental changes and to seek common solutions through international cooperation. The Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences plays a key role in this structure – it holds an in-kind membership for the Czech Republic.
The faculty confirmed this position at the recent joint EvolTree & ForGenius conference. The event had a major international impact (178 participants from 27 countries), with the Czech Republic having the sixth highest attendance.
We were most pleased with the success of the upcoming scientific generation. FLD had three oral presentations by doctoral students on the program, which is very significant in such competition:
- Ing. Jiří Chuchlík presented the topic From Subjective to Objective Bud-burst Assessment: CNN-Assisted RGB Imaging in Norway Spruce Seed Orchard.
- Christi Sagariya presented the results on the topic Genotyping error and its consequences for heritability estimation.
- Ing. David Chludil gave a presentation on Pollen-based assisted migration.
- The doctoral students' activities were complemented by Ing. Michaela Medzihorská with a poster in the flash presentation section.
The students' presentations were followed by a lecture by doc. Jan Stejskal on hyperspectral detection of genetic variation in Scots pine, but he also received significant professional recognition – he was a member of the conference's scientific committee and moderated the Breeding for Resilience section.
Prof. Milan Lstibůrek presented A dynamic breeding framework for bridging local adaptation and assisted migration in his lecture. As a member of the EvolTree Governing Board, he participated in meetings where, among other things, future courses and summer schools were planned, in which the FLD has been significantly involved for many years.
The faculty's professional presentation was rounded off by posters by Dr. Jan Čepl and Dr. Jiří Korecký.
The presented outputs also included results from research conducted as part of the OptFORESTS (Horizon Europe), RE ENFORCE (Interreg Central Europe) and Forest of the Krkonoše Mountains - Joint Management in KRNAP and KPN (Interreg Czechia – Poland) projects.
