1. The 19th Session of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) was held in Zaragoza at the kind invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain under the Chairmanship of Mr. Domingo Cadahiá (Spain), with the assistance of two Vice-Chairmen, Mr. G. Vallée (Canada) and Mr. Jaime Ulloa (Chile), and three Rapporteurs, Mr. Dean DeBell (USA), Mr. François Lefevre (France) and Mrs. Teresa Cerrillo (Argentina).
2. The Session was attended by delegates, alternates and advisers from 23 member countries of the Commission: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China (People's Democratic Republic of), France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea (Republic of), Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, U.K. and U.S.A. Observers attended from Croatia, Finland, Greece, Mexico, Norway and Uruguay. Participants and observers totalled 172.
3. The Session was opened by the Chairman of the retiring Executive Committee, Mr V. Steenackers, who reviewed the objectives of the Commission.
4. Mr José Barreiros, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, welcomed participants and observers to Spain and apologised for the absence of the Minister of Agriculture. The Secretary General emphasised the support of his Ministry to the forestry sector and to the growing of poplars in particular. The first priority is given to poplar growing under his Ministry's assistance to private forestry. He noted that the theme of the meeting was very appropriate to the situation in Spain in view of recent EEC changes concerning "set aside" arable land and his country's environmental protection policy. In declaring the Session open he thanked FAO for its confidence in entrusting arrangements for the meeting to his country and the Government of Aragón for organising it.
5. The Director General for Research and Technology, Government of Aragón, Mr Ignacio Palazón, stressed the interest of his government in the growing of poplars, which make up about 17% of the total area dedicated to this crop in Spain. The Director General hoped that the participants would consider the challenge posed by the need for new agricultural policies, which included the encouragement of combinations of poplars grown with agricultural crops. In welcoming participants to Aragón he looked for a two-way flow of information between those from within and those from outside the region.
6. The Secretary of the IPC, Mr J.B.Ball, welcomed participants and observers on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr E. Saouma. The Secretary noted that a record number of both participants and countries were attending, a compliment to the high quality of the arrangements made by the host country and the Government of Aragón, for which he thanked the organisers.
7. Mr. Domingo Cadahiá (Spain) was elected Chairman of the 19th Session and Mr. G. Vallée (Canada) and Mr. J. Ulloa (Chile) Vice-Chairmen.
8. The Provisional Agenda was adopted without amendment.
9. Delegates were advised that Sweden, as a member of FAO, had applied to join the International Poplar Commission under Article II (1) of the Convention governing the IPC. Sweden had lodged its formal acceptance of the Convention with the Director-General of FAO and was accordingly now a member of the IPC.
10. Croatia had also applied to FAO to join the IPC, as a member of the United Nations, under Article II (2) of the same Convention. It had lodged acceptance of the Convention. Election to membership under this Article requires a two thirds majority of the membership (23 members at that time). A vote was therefore held on the application of Croatia, scrutinised by the three Rapporteurs, at which all 23 delegations present in the hall voted in favour. Croatia was therefore declared the thirty fifth member of the International Poplar Commission.
11. Mr D. Terrasson presented the paper on the theme of the 19th Session, "Poplar- and Willow-Growing in Combination with Agriculture". The paper was based on replies to a questionnaire which had been circulated to all member countries in mid-1991; responses had been received from 19 countries.
12. The theme was similar to that for the 16th Session (1980). Two conclusions were drawn in 1980. The first was that there was a decline in interest in the association between poplar cultivation and agriculture in the countries of traditional poplar cultivation, that is to say western Europe, but other countries were showing increased interest in growing poplars in association with agriculture. The second conclusion was that the creation of energy plantations using the Salicaceae was being actively researched in several countries; it was believed that such plantations would be developed during the last two decades of the century.
13. The conclusions drawn from the present study are not entirely consistent with these previous findings. Intercropping continues to be practised in most of the warm temperate countries in order to hold down production costs, but only with poplars, and its importance is marginal to arable crop production. The association between poplar cultivation and agriculture or animal husbandry requires labour which is decreasing in the agricultural sector in most countries. On the other hand, there is more and larger farm machinery in response to the reduced labour supply, but the use of heavy equipment is often incompatible with line planting, which is tending to decrease except where there is a critical wood deficit or the use of windbreaks is very beneficial to agricultural production. In China, however, the large wood deficit and the small area of agricultural land per person makes this a special case and the association of poplar growing with agriculture accounts for most of the poplar plantations that are established.
14. The expected development of plantations of the Salicaceae for wood energy has not happened, and short rotation coppice remains a subject for research. The trials are now more linked to pulpwood supply than to energy.
15. Moreover, some new trends are emerging that may influence the long-term prospects for poplar cultivation in industrialised countries. These are:
- Agricultural over-production in the countries of western Europe is leading to limitations being placed on the growing of many agricultural crops; this will reduce the potential for poplar growing in association with agriculture. Where marginal land has been taken out of agriculture such land is generally not suitable for growing the Salicaceae, but where it is of better quality the cultivation of poplars and willows is possible but has so far not been widespread.
- Political developments in Eastern Europe may affect the management and ownership of existing poplar plantations, especially where they are closely linked to the agricultural sector.
- A hostile reaction is emerging in some industrialized countries towards the growing of poplars on moist sites, not only because such sites may be threatened or fragile but also and because of the artificial appearance of the plantations.
16. National Reports were received from the Poplar Commissions of 21 member countries (see Annex IV).
17. Current inventory data for standing volume and/or area of poplars were available for most member countries. Canada dominated the reported stocks, with nearly 3,000 million m3 standing volume. The U.S.A. had 765 million m3. In terms of the area of poplar plantations France reported 279,500 ha (1989), Hungary and Yugoslavia (up to 1990) 150,000 ha each, Turkey 130,000 ha, Spain 91,000 ha (1985), Romania 83,000 ha (1984) and Italy 79,000 ha (1990). China reported that 140,000 ha were established between 1988 and 1991; Korea reported 19,000 ha and Syria 12,600 ha established in almost the same period.
18. Production of poplar wood was 16 million m3 in the U.S.A. in 1991; in the same year Turkey produced 3,5 million m3, France 3.3 million m3, or 14% of total national production, Hungary 1.7 million m3 and Pakistan 1.1 million m3. Italy reported an average of 1.6 million m3/yr in the three years 1988-90, compared with 4.1 million m3 reported in 1988. Countries reporting significant exports of poplar wood were Belgium (210,000 m3 or 60% of production in 1991) and France (478,000 tonnes in 1989).
19. The most important consuming member countries are Canada, which reported a considerable increase in the consumption of poplar wood (especially Populus tremuloides) and China, where it was an important industrial roundwood. Consumption figures were available for relatively few countries. Importations of poplar wood were important to Italy (593,000 tonnes) and Korea (25,000 m3, or 51% of consumption). Germany and Italy reported weak markets. Syria reported production of 25,000 tonnes/yr.
20. Several European countries (e.g. Belgium, Italy, Spain, U.K.) reported that EEC regulations on "set aside" agricultural land and on incentives to afforest such land would aid poplar growing, but some of those countries (and the U.S.A.) also reported resistance from some members of the public to the expansion of poplar growing. Romania, one of the countries whose economy was formerly centrally planned, reported legislative changes with the change to the market economy which would affect the ownership, management and disposal of forest land (including poplar plantations).
21. Most member countries reported active national poplar commissions and a great deal of exchange of breeding material and of scientists between countries. The Bulgarian and Romanian commissions have been reestablished and the statutes of the Swiss commission have been modified to give it more freedom. The United Kingdom reported that a poplar working group was set up. Only Hungary and Morocco reported that their commissions were not functioning.
22. The cultivation of willows was little mentioned in national reports, although some member countries such as Romania (50,700 ha, of which 9,400 are native stands), Hungary (21,600 ha) and the Netherlands (4,000 ha, excluding 3,900 of osier fields) reported on the areas of willows. Spain reported an average production of 24,400 tonnes/yr. In addition to those countries which reported that willows were of some importance in their forest economies, Pakistan noted production of 18,000 m3 of willows in 1991.
23. The Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Nomenclature and Registration, Mr Viart (France), presented the International Catalogue of Poplar Cultivars. The preparation and publication of this Catalogue had been the subject of recommendations of both the 18th Session (Beijing, 1988) and the 35th Executive Committee Meeting (Buenos Aires, 1990).
24. The following points arose from discussion of the Catalogue:
- the International Poplar Commission is the only international authority for the registration of cultivars of poplars (a decision taken in 1958 by the International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants);
- by extension, the competence of the International Poplar Commission, functioning as the International Authority for Registration, is universal and is not limited only to member countries of the IPC;
- in the field of registration of the names of the cultivars of poplars, the competence of the International Poplar Commission is limited to the strict application of the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants;
- in conformity with this Code, the International Poplar Commission is in particular not permitted to carry out trials, give an opinion on the merits of one cultivar over another or to give an opinion on the identification of cultivars.
25. The meeting confirmed that the International Catalogue of the Cultivars of Poplars met these four points.
26. Mr Viart advised the meeting that he wished to retire as Chairman of the Sub-Committee, and requested the Executive committee to appoint a new Chairman. Mr Viart was warmly thanked by the members not only for his work on the Catalogue but also for his important contributions to the work of the International Poplar Commission in the past.
a) Report of the Working Party on Poplar Diseases
27. The Chairman of the Working Party, Professor Cellerino (Italy), presented an overview paper describing the work of the IPC on poplar diseases since the formation of the Working Party in Madrid in 1955. Fifteen delegates from 11 countries took part in the discussions, while reports or communications were received from another five countries.
28. The Working Party recognised the existence of physiological races of Melampsora spp., the rapid evolution of populations of these races and progress made in knowledge of the reaction of clones and species of poplar to the disease. In particular the group noted the first case of an infection by M. larici-populina on the west coast of the U.S.A. and the detection in New Zealand of a morphological hybrid between M. medusae and M. larici-populina.
29. Cases of infection by Venturia populina have been cited from Italy and the U.S.A. Attention was drawn to attacks caused by Alternaria alternata on Populus nigra and P. alba in Argentina and Rhizoctonia solani on P. deltoides in India.
30. Septoria muciva continues to be a problem in North America. In Europe and in North America Dothichiza populea outbreaks have developed due to stress factors. A study on immunisation by Trichoderma viridae against bark parasites is under way in Bulgaria.
31. Xanthomonas campestris has been detected for the first time in Italy and several attacks due to Pseudomonas syringae have been observed in France and Sweden.
32. Participants from Italy described a strategy for the utilisation of white poplar, involving the selection of families and provenances for tolerance of frost and drought. Some new clones have been selected and cultivated in Belgium for their resistance to the principal diseases.
b) Report of the Working Party on Poplar Insect Pests
33. Twenty people from 5 member countries took part in the discussions of the Working Party. During the meeting, Mr Cavalcaselle (Italy), tendered his resignation as Chairman of the Group; the members elected Mr L. Nef (Belgium) in his place, with Mr Allegro (Italy) as secretary.
34. Discussions centred on the papers which were presented, in particular on the presence of a new pest recorded from France (Anisandrus dispar), the use of pheromone traps for monitoring and the mass trapping of Paranthrene tabaniformis, the biological control of Cryptorrhyncus lapathi by nematodes, the resistance of poplar clones to Chrysomela sp., Anoplophora sp. and Hyphantria cunea, the influence of Phyllocnistis suffusella attacks on the physiology of leaves, an artificial diet for Cryptorrhynctus lapathi and the entomological problems arising from poplar/agricultural crops associations.
35. The Working Group agreed that it was essential to improve the exchange of information between scientists working on similar problems of pest control in the member countries and that greater efforts must be made to develop more environmentally friendly methods of pest control.
36. The meeting of the Working Party was attended by over 50 participants, representing 18 countries. The Chairman, Mr. Balatinecz (Canada), highlighted activities since the last meeting in Beijing.
37. Discussions of the papers presented to the meeting stressed the theme of the Session, the growing of poplars and willows in combination with agriculture. Topics included the role of poplar growing on "set aside" farmland in the EEC, the uses of computer modelling in such situations, the effect of management regimes, large-scale industrial projects and the benefits of combinations with agricultural crops or grazing. The characteristics of new Belgian clones and utilization in Canada were described.
38. The Working Party had decided before the 19th Session to concentrate on the following topics: (a) the potential of biotechnology in poplar breeding, (b) poplar breeding for extensive culture, (c) status and perspectives of North American poplar resources, and (d) breeding of Asiatic willows. A total of 44 papers reflecting these topics were presented.
39. The discussions of the Working Party concerned not only the presented papers but also took regard of the growing demands for wood in developing as well as in the developed countries, which could be met at least in part through the improvement of poplar and willow growing stock without increasing the pressure on already endangered forest ecosystems. The Working Party stressed the primary importance of genetic diversity towards such improvement, while at the same time recognising that there was a high risk that genetic reserves represented by native stands of several poplar and willow species might be lost in the near future due to the destruction of their native habitats and/or due to introgression by genetically uniform cultivated varieties. Furthermore, several species which have so far been little explored may have considerable potential for the genetic improvement of poplars and willows, particularly in arid, semi-arid and subtropical areas.
40. A total of 55 participants from 19 countries attended the meeting of the Working Group, which was held jointly with the IEA-Bioenergy Activity on Growth Processes.
41. The participants agreed on the integrated approach being adopted in consideration of short rotation biomass systems, and requested more information in future on the cultivation of willows for biomass. The usefulness of joint meetings with other groups concerned with similar problems was agreed as well as the importance of socio-economics and market analysis and the exchange of research information on topics of interest to those working in the field of biomass production systems in different regions. The participants noted the lack of a Working Party of the International Poplar Commission devoted to management systems of poplar and willow plantations. The participants also suggested the broadening of scope of the Working Party on Biomass Production Systems to include a variety of short rotation systems with an integrated approach, including questions of environmental safeguards, and the provision of technical assistance to countries starting biomass production programmes.
42. The Session was advised of the recommendation of the Executive Committee concerning with the transformation of the former Ad Hoc Committees into Working Parties. The recommendation was approved.
43. The Commission reviewed the recommendations formulated by the subsidiary bodies and, after discussions, adopted the following recommendations:
Nomenclature and Registration
44. The member countries of the International Poplar Commission should each create without delay a National Authority for Registration, charged with the registration of poplar cultivars conforming to the International Code for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants, of which the principal provisions are included in the Catalogue of Poplar Cultivars.
45. Member countries of the International Poplar Commission, using the cultivars produced by non-member countries, should be invited to advise the latter to follow the process of registration so that their cultivars are correctly registered.
46. Member countries of the International Poplar Commission should be invited to send to the Secretariat of the IPC their proposals for additions or amendments to the existing Catalogue.
47. With a view to the development of the Catalogue, it is recommended that the Secretariat take the necessary measures to ensure the updating of the Catalogue by requesting the services of, for example, the Istituto di Sperimentazione per la Pioppicoltura of Casale Monferrato (Italy).
Poplar and Willow Protection
a) Diseases
48. The Working Party on Diseases recommended that the collaboration between tree breeders and pathologists should be expanded and should be translated into joint sessions, which would not exclude specialised meetings of either of the Working Parties.
b) Insect Pests
49. The Working Party recommended that there was need to increase basic research carried out on the resistance of the Salicaceae to pest damage, as well as to increase the interdisciplinary work aimed at genetic improvement.
50. A fellowship plan was recommended, which should be set up for young scientists from developing countries to study in institutions having long experience in research into entomological problems in poplars. It further recommended that member countries of the International Poplar Commission should report regularly to the other members of the Working Party the results and research projects being carried out, in order to harmonize and collaborate in their work.
Logging and Utilization
51. The Working Party recommended that member countries should give greater emphasis to the collection and regular updating of economic data, as well as to sharing information with other members.
52. It was recommended that member countries should pay more attention to the environmental aspects of poplar growing, as well as to the recycling of products. The need for greater coordination between the growers of poplar wood and those who use it was noted.
Breeding and Selection
53. The Working Party recommended that the International Poplar Commission, through FAO, should address to member and non-member countries a formal invitation to adopt appropriate measures to ensure that existing genetic resources of poplar and willow species, in natural and man-made stands, be properly preserved, stressing the role that fast-growing species may play in reducing the pressure on delicate and endangered natural environments worldwide.
54. The International Poplar Commission, with the active contribution of its subsidiary bodies, should support those activities that are already undertaken for the collection of the germplasm of the Salicaceae in several countries, with particular regard to:
(i) the establishment of links between existing programmes funded by national and international organizations,
(ii) improving the exchange of information and material between scientific institutions worldwide,
(c) designing model programmes around Populus deltoides and P. nigra in consideration of their great importance in breeding programmes and the existing threats of genetic pollution from cultivated varieties.
Biomass Production Systems
55. At the next meeting of the Working Party discussion should centre on environmental, socio-economic and marketing issues of short rotation woody biomass production systems in agriculture and animal husbandry.
56. Working Party meetings should include country reports on state-of-technology.
57. Joint sessions should be held with the Working Parties on Breeding and on Diseases to consider integrated approaches towards breeding for disease resistance in biomass production systems.
58. Eighteen candidates were proposed by fourteen member countries for election to the Executive Committee for the 1993-1996 period. An election was held by secret ballot involving 22 member country delegates authorized to represent their respective governments (Argentina; Belgium; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; China, People's Republic of; France; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; India; Korea, Republic of; Netherlands; New Zealand; Pakistan; Spain; Sweden; Syria; Turkey; United Kingdom; United States of America).
59. The following were elected to the Executive Committee for 1993-1996: R. Arreghini (Argentina), Chong-Supp Shim (Korea, Rep.), L. Christersson (Sweden), C. Foster (United Kingdom), E. Giordano (Italy), A. Padró (Spain), J. Richardson (Canada), V. Steenackers (Belgium), D. Terrasson (France), Wang Shi Ji (China), H. Weisgerber (Germany), A. Wilkinson (New Zealand). The collection and counting of votes was scrutinized by D. DeBell (U.S.A.) and F. Lefevre (France).
60. Delegates were advised that invitations had been received from Italy, Romania and Syria, and informally from Hungary, to host the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Poplar Commission. It was agreed to request FAO to approach these countries, and on the basis of their responses, to decide the venue of the next Executive Committee meeting.
61. Mr J.P.Lanly, Director, Forest Resources Division, Forestry Department of FAO, speaking on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, thanked the Governments of Spain and of Aragón for hosting the 19th Session of the International Poplar Commission and its associated meetings. He welcomed the expansion of the IPC through its new members, and on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of its establishment, encouraged members to expand its horizons to include questions such as the environmental impact of poplar growing, socio-economic considerations and support to developing countries.
62. Mr D. Trueba, Chairman of the National Poplar Commission of Spain, drew attention to the national preoccupation not only with the wood deficit of the country but also with the preservation of the environment. It was for this reason that the Minister of Agriculture had delegated a strong team, under the Coordinator, Mr Padró, to organise the event.
63. Mr. Steenakers, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Poplar Commission, thanked all those concerned for the arrangements connected with the 19th Session and its associated events.
64. His Excellency, Mr. José Urbieta Gale, Consejero de Agricultura, Ganadería y Montes of the Government of Aragon, formally closed the Session.
