Mediterranean stone pines are facing a pest that is seriously damaging their health. Can forest genetic research bring hope for solutions?

The emblematic Mediterranean stone pines are being attacked by an insect called the pine tortoise scale. This pest is currently affecting numerous populations in Italy, and controls are being carried out to reduce it. However, total eradication is unlikely due to the effects of climate change.

The European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) will address this issue in a new webinar, focusing on the threat to the species from different angles with a panel of leading experts and researchers including Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat (EFIMED), Bruno Fady (INRAE), Maurizio Sabatti (University of Tuscia) and Giuseppe Scarascia (EFI Biocities). Throughout the webinar, the guest speakers and participants will also discuss the challenges and opportunities for forest genetics research to promote more resistant breeding varieties that can cope with these threats. The current fate of the Mediterranean stone pine may be the fate of many other species in the future.

Register now for the webinar!