Elite populations for conifer breeding and gene conservation

Elite populations managed for short-term gain have received increasing attention as advanced-generation breeding strategies have taken shape for forest tree species. They are prevalent for two reasons: (1) their short-term gains provide justification for the rising costs of recurrent forest tree breeding and (2) the advent of control-pollinated seed production has reduced the requirement for a large number of unrelated selections. This paper addresses the concept of an elite population, its potential for compressed generation intervals, its predicted long-term selection response, as well as the concomitant risks of severe inbreeding depression and loss of genetic diversity.