INVITATION
TO THE KOSTRZYCA FOREST GENE BANK
The Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank is an organizational unit of the State Forests, which came into being in 1995. The institution conducts the long-term storage of gene resources of forest trees and shrubs as well as the monitoring of the quality of reproductive material, that is seeds from the most valuable seed objects of the State Forests and national parks, nature reserves, nature monuments, which are significant to the environmental protection.

The Kostrzyca FGB's tasks are carried out by its following units:

The Protection and Storage of Forest Gene Reserves Unit is responsible for supervising seedling crops, securing the acquisition and management of seed material collections as well as pursuing technological processes during the reception of seeds for storage. The unit is also functioning as the seed mill and storage facility for the Sate Forests's Authority in the Wrocław area.

The Reserach and Reserves Protection Unit carries out seed material laboratory assessments, preserves gene resources and deposits undergoing technological processes and those kept in the Kostrzyca FGB storage rooms, runs a data bank on gene resources stored in all the country's seed-bearing facilities. This unit also serves as the Sees testing Station for the State Forests' Authority in Wrocław.

The Biopreparation Production Unit produces mycorrhizal biopreparation based on the Hebeloma crustuliniforme fungus for the needs of the State Forests' Authority and analyses the results of the production for the purpose of improving the bio-preparation production technology.

The Research and Implementation Unit consists of 2 Laboratories.
The Cryopreservation Laboratory focuses on working out a methodology of storing plant genetic material with seeds of the Recalcitrant category, as embryo axes or plumulas kept in liquid nitrogen.
The DNA Analyses Laboratory identifies forest reproduction material by means of genetic markers, studies the genetic variability of forest trees, pursues basic research in the look-out for wood genetic markers of basic forest-forming species for the purpose of identifying wood stolen from forests controlled by the State Forests.

FGB also runs a wide range of educational programmes adresses to the public at large

The Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank 2010

 The Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank - PDF