Forest Values & Genomic Selection: Perspectives of Stakeholder Groups in Two West-Central Alberta Communities

Abstract

Forests face a variety of environmental and societal pressures and genomics offers one possible tool to help alleviate these pressures. However, public perceptions of genomic selection when used in tree breeding are not well understood. This study seeks to examine how stakeholders from forest dependent communities might interpret the implementation of genomic selection by relying upon risk perception theory. Specifically, some common themes and risk characteristics related to genomic applications in forestry are highlighted. Moreover, this study seeks to determine how individuals value forests and perceive current and future forest threats which can then inform how stakeholders view the necessity of management decisions such as the implementation of emergent technologies. As such, forest value literature is a focus of one chapter of this thesis. The results suggest that while different stakeholders can agree on the values that forests provide, how those values are perceived to be prioritized can result in disagreements. Forest management decisions seeking to address these multiple values are consequently difficult to agree upon due to subjective forest conditions or terms and in some cases a result of a lack of communication between stakeholders. Combined with skeptical climate change attitudes and conflicting ideas about disturbances resulted in further disagreement about management decisions. Pertaining to genomic selection, participants were wary, but rarely outright rejected genomic selection implementation. Primarily, genomic selection was viewed as uncertain with potentially unknown consequences. Participants were concerned how genomic selection would be used and in particular, how genetic diversity would be maintained. Some implications and suggestions about attempts to implement genomic selection in light of these stakeholder concerns are discussed.