Omics Approaches in Conservation and Management of Forest Genetic Resources

The intraspecific genetic diversity that supports the adaptability, persistence and evolution of forests and trees is known as forest genetic resources or FGRs. It encompasses the genetic potential of forests to provide environmental, social and economic benefits rather than being a direct benefit of forest resources. However, human-imposed threats, including climate change, altered the forest landscape are adversely affecting the species, reduced the population connectivity and drastically decling the genetic diversity. Furthermore, the productivity and general health of the forest have also decreased due to the invasion of alien species, including pathogens. Therefore, the primary goal of FGR conservation is preserving genetic diversity, enhancing climate resilience, supporting sustainable forest management, improving ecosystem services and supporting human well-being. The advancements in high throughput sequencing methods and their significance in the effective conservation and management of FGRs are covered in this chapter. The development of various omics techniques, their increased accessibility and enhanced methodological and analytical capabilities have broadened the scope of research in FGR conservation. Utilizing integrated multi-omic approaches has demonstrated its effectiveness in defining conservation units, improving the management of FGRs, identifying genetically impoverished populations and supporting genetic reinforcement, thereby ultimately promoting reproductive success in forest species. By examining the adaptive genetic diversity in its spatial and geographic scales, it has facilitated sustainable management of limited resources and fortification of climatic resilience in forest species. The utilization of omic-based methods also enabled better surveillance and monitoring of forest health by tracking of pathogen dynamics and developing resistance to newly emerging diseases. The utilization of technology-driven precision in DNA-based forensic tools, coupled with global reference database has empowered efforts to combat the illicit extraction of forest resources.