WHAT IS B4EST?
B4EST is an EU-funded H2020 project which focuses on adaptive breeding for productive, sustainable and resilient forests under climate change.
Climate change can increase forest vulnerability to damage and disease, reduce forest health and productivity, and cause economic losses. B4EST’s goal is to increase forest survival, health, resilience and productivity under these circumstances, while maintaining genetic diversity and key ecological functions, and fostering a competitive EU bio-based economy. B4EST aims to provide forest tree breeders, forest owners, managers and policy makers with better scientific knowledge to deal with these issues.
RESEARCH
Recent scientific publications
B4EST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: 20-23 JUNE 2022!
Watch the session recordings and download the presentations
Download the conference summary (pdf)
POLICY BRIEFS
How can forest tree breeding contribute to EU policies?
Nordic policy brief
TOOLS
Climate Matching Tool
ClimateDT – Climate Downscaling tool
Planter’s guide
Luberon2
QUICK INFO
Full project title: Adaptive BREEDING for productive, sustainable and resilient FORESTs under climate change
Duration: 2018-2022
Budget: € 6 478 662 (EC grant: € 6 000 000)
Partners: INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L’AGRICULTURE, L’ALIMENTATION ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT | FORESTRY COMMISSION RESEARCH AGENCY | AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS | STIFTELSEN SKOGSBRUKETS FORSKNINGSINSTITUT – SKOGFORSK | LUONNONVARAKESKUS | EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE | UPPSALA UNIVERSITET | OULUN YLIOPISTO | SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET | CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE | UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATION | STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH | CENTRE DE COOPERATION INTERNATIONALE EN RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE POUR LEDEVELOPPEMENT – C.I.R.A.D. EPIC | CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L’ANALISI DELL’ECONOMIA AGRARIA |NIBIO – NORSK INSTITUTT FOR BIOOKONOMI |UNIVERSITE PAUL SABATIER TOULOUSE III | Finsilva Oyj |Altri florestal, SA | INRAE TRANSFERT S.A.S. |INSTITUT EUROPÉEN DE LA FORÊT CULTIVÉE | UK CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY
Keywords : Breeding, sustainability, new genotypes, adaptation profiles, genomic selection, deployment, tools for end-users, bioeconomy, forest management, biotic/abiotic risks, genetic resources, wood production