Sitka Spruced meeting at Roslin, 17th September 2019

Forestry Workshop on Genomic Selection: Implementation and Impacts for the UK

The Sitka Spruced team is hosting a workshop on the implementation and impacts of genomic selection for UK forestry. The workshop, to be held on 17 September 2019 at the Roslin Institute, Easter Bush Campus, Edinburgh, is meant to facilitate a knowledge exchange between the forestry and wood product sectors and specialists in genomics and tree breeding. Genomic selection, a transformative method to accelerate tree breeding, has the potential for significant impacts in UK forestry.

Through presentations and discussion, this workshop will prepare the forestry sector for the changes anticipated to result from genomic selection, such as shorter breeding cycles, shorter rotations, and knock-on effects in value creation. The covered topics will be of interest to anyone involved in commercial softwood breeding, from research and development to industry and policy.

The workshop consists of two sessions, a free morning session and an afternoon session that includes lunch with a £25 registration fee.

The open morning session covers genomic selection development and application through non-technical talks given by international experts and UK specialists. Presenters include Gustavo Lopez from Forest Research, a member of Sitka Spruced, who will discuss Sitka spruce breeding in the UK. Yousry El-Kassaby from University of British Columbia, CA and Laurent Bouffier from INRA Bordeaux will present on the current development of genomic prediction in Canada and France.

The afternoon session of the workshop will be limited to 40 registered participants and will focus on the industry perspective of genomic prediction. Following short talks by industry representatives, participants will get the opportunity to interact with industry leaders and scientific experts through a panel session and round-table discussions.