How can natural resources be used for the benefit of not only for ourselves, but also for future generations? How to preserve biological diversity and increase available resources? Smart forest: Belarusian scientists grow trees in test tubes that can withstand climate change and pest infestations. And the berry gene was deciphered, and now the harvest of wild-growing cranberries and blueberries is quite possible. All this is only a small part of the achievements of the specialists of the Belarusian Forest Institute.
Vladimir Padutov, head of the Laboratory of Genetics and Biotechnology of the Forest Research Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: "We have two tasks: to identify plants that have unique characteristics and this is the development of measures to conserve the genetic diversity of our forests."
Climate change - through the change in the level of groundwater, forest fires, windfalls and windbreaks, the multiplication of insect pests - changes the structure of the forest. For example, this year due to the invasion of the bark beetle thousands of hectares of the forest had to be destroyed.
Today, the Forest Institute has three experimental forestry bases. And in the institute the bank of DNA of the best wood species is created.
The collection of strains contains 75 species of fungi. It was collected for almost 45 years. Today it is the national treasure of the country.
Alexander Kovalevich, director of the Forest Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: "Today almost 50% of the new forests that are created in Belarus are a selection of planting materials, which is also a very good result."












