Introduction of Asian conifers under a warming climate: 300 years of experience in NW Russia

The main centres of introduction of conifers in the taiga zone of Russia are the Botanic Garden of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS and the Arboretum of the Forest-Technical Academy in Saint Petersburg. The introduction of conifers in Russia began as early as the first quarter of the 18th century. During nearly 300 years, 180 species of 24 genera and five families (more than 340 taxa) have been tested. Modern collections include 98 species of 14 genera; 52 species are of Asian origin. The most well adapted and promising are species of Eastern Asiatic (Manchurian and Sakhalin-Hokkaido provinces) and Circumboreal floristic regions, the first of these being of interest as a first-grade source of mobilisation of new conifer species. Only six species are used in city planting, and there is a rather large assortment of promising conifers for forest parks and landscape gardening. Due to the warming of the climate it is possible to cultivate new species and ones which were of no practical use before. The continuous monitoring of bioclimatic cycles and their influence on adaptation levels of conifers is of special interest. From the point of view of ex-situ conservation studies, the propagation and more intensive cultivation of conifers listed in the Red Data Books are desirable. The elaboration of agrotechniques for rare and difficult to cultivate conifers is urgently needed. It is imperative to introduce into horticulture and as afforestation the most valuable conifers and to elaborate new technology of their seed and vegetative propagation. It is desirable to organise a series of expeditions into the wild to obtain different provenances of species which deserve primary or repeated introduction.