Douglas-Fir ([i]Pseudotsuga menziesii[/i] (Mirb.) Franco). Chapter 7
2013
Bastien, Jean-Charles | Sanchez Rodriguez, Leopoldo | Michaud, Daniel
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) is native to the Pacific coast range and along the Rocky Mountains through Canada and USA. In the early 19th nineteenth century, it was introduced to Western Europe, where nowadays it covers almost 800,000 ha. Despite this considerable extent, the relatively recent introduction to Europe means this exotic species is still a minor forest species for several European countries. This status may be revised notably in the context of climate change, considering the high adaptability potential of the species. In terms of breeding, most investments have been made in western European countries, of which the principal ones in terms of breeding efforts are: France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain and the Netherlands. These breeding programmes share some common groups of provenances and progenies, which could justify co-operation in breeding efforts among some of these countries across the EU, for instance by delineating breeding zones defined at ecological bases (climate; soil) across countries. In this monograph we would like to present some key details relating to past and present Douglas fir breeding over 12 European countries that were involved in the TreeBreedex project, and we compiled further statistics on existing varieties over a total of 15 EU countries. This monograph concludes by introducing some elements of discussion on the possibilities of joint breeding efforts at European level.
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