124specialized department to help s

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specialized department to help supply the highest possible quality reproductive
materials, taking into account available knowledge of the species
in use. The tasks of such a department will include selection of seed stands
in the right provenances; establishment of seed orchards; assuring high standards
in seed collection and handling etc.
The establishment of a specialized Tree Seed Department or Unit has
been shown to have a decisive, positive effect on exploration, conservation
and evaluation of forest genetic resources in a country. It is, furthermore,
likely to greatly help alleviate the problem of quality seed supplies to development
projects.
3.2 Species and provenance selection
Relatively early, large-scale planting programmes have been carried out in
a number of dry-zone countries, but species selection has, until recently,
concentrated almost exclusively on exotic species, such as Eucalyptus.
There is presently a marked increase in interest in species/provenance
testing and in local, multi-purpose species. In addition to the FAO coordinated
species and provenance trials of Acacia and Prosopis mentioned
earlier, in which eight countries have participated since their inception in
1981 and a number of other countries have recently joined (Palmberg 1981,
1983), species and provenance tests of fodder and fuelwood species - especially
of the genera Acacia and Prosopis - have been carried out individually,
or in collaboration with institutes such as CSIRO, Australia; CTFT,
France; and OFI, Oxford (UK), by a number of dry-zone countries since the
mid 1970's (see FAO 1985a). Systematic exploration of the natural distribution
of local species has also recently been started in many countries
although action is still largely sporadic and uncoordinated.
3.3 Tree improvement and vegetative propagation
In the broad field of tree improvement very little has, to date, been done
on individual tree selection and breeding. Seed stands have been established
in few countries, seed orchards in even fewer. Some work is underway on
vegetative propagation of native species, both in the dry-zone countries
themselves (e.g. Chile, Brazil, India, Sudan, Senegal) and outside of them
(Australia, France, UK, USA, etc.). Wider cooperation and coordination
in these efforts would lead to greater efficiency and more reliable results.
3.4 Conservation of genetic resources
The rapidly expanding degradation of natural woody vegetation in the arid
and semi-arid areas is likely to have resulted in severe genetic impoverishment.
Few systematic surveys have been carried out to date, but the situation
seems critical for a number of species and provenances.
Global priorities in the conservation of genetic resources of woody species
are identified by the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources (FAO