IN SITU CONSERVATION OF FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES FROM THE SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS

Stands established as seed source and conservation of the forest gene-pool from the Sothern Carpathians were analyzed and described based on 13,806 stand elements. As such, the stands were analyzed from: the surface occupied on functional categories, the tree species and field exposition and slant and station types. From the total surface occupied by forests with a scientific purpose in the Southern Carpathians (sheltering gene-pool and forest ecopool), the forests established as seed stands and conservation of forest gene-pool occupy 7,248ha (11%). The following species are predominant: European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) and European silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). Also predominant are fields with large and very large slopes, with a Northeast exposition, from average and superior bonity stations, characterized by distric cambisols and eutric cambisols.Considering the importance of forest genetic resources in mitigating the negative effects of climate change on forests, the conservation strategy of these stands has to be based on a dynamic long-term conservation that maintains a high level of genetic diversity and adaptive genetic potential within tree populations.