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SASSARI MEErlNG 1Sassari meeting(Third Network meeting)Organized jointly with Concerted Action EU/FAIR l-CT 95-0202 "European network forthe evaluation of genetic resources of cork oak for appropriate use in breeding and geneconservation strategies"1. IntroductionThe meeting was held from 9 to 12 June 1996 in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. Participantsfrom seven countries attended the meeting (see Participants). The meeting provided aframework essentially to focus on preparing and discussing implementation of theConcerted Action project approved by the European Conunission (EU/F AIR 1-CT 95-0202 "European network for the evaluation of genetic resources of cork oak forappropriate use in breeding and gene conservation strategies").A new research project proposal to be submitted for funding to the EU wasanother major point on the agenda. Most Network members are involved in eitheror both projects. Therefore, this joint meeting with broader attendance wasorganized as an occasion to combine the different efforts aimed at .the conservationand better use of genetic resources of cork oak. Maria Carolina Varela, chair of theNetwork and coordinator of the Concerted Action, welcomed all participants at themeeting and thanked the organizers for their efforts. She expressed her satisfactionwith the fact that urgent activities on genetic resources of cork oak were undertakenin a collaborative way in the Mediterranean region and that attendance at thismeeting was very representative. M.C. Varela then briefly introduced the outline ofthe Concerted Action project and emphasized the main topics to be'discussed andagreed upon during the meeting. The Network countries prepared the projectproposal during 1994 and 1995 and it was approved under the EU/FAIRprogramme in January 1996. The main objective is to establish simultaneousprovenance and progeny trials for the evaluation of genetic variation andheritability of economic traits, mainly cork quality.EUFORGEN will continue to act as the catalyst of collaborative activities andprojects in the different Networks. The EUFORGEN coordinator, Jozef Turok,welcomed all participants and informed them about the progress being made in theother EUFORGEN Networks. He wished the participants to maintain theirenthusiasm and a collaborative spirit also for future activities.The cooperation and support of FAO and particularly Silva Mediterranea to theNetwork was acknowledged by all participants. FAO's Forest ResourcesDevelopment Service organized and supported the participation for the first time ofa representative of Morocco and initiated contacts with specialists on the geneticresources of cork oak in Algeria and Tunisia. Christian Hansen (FORM/FAO)stressed the importance of maintaining close links in the future.All the participants then introduced themselves and their ongoing work in thearea of genetic resources of cork oak. The agenda of the meeting was approved,starting with a full-day discussion of the preparation of provenance/progeny fieldtrials and their experimental design (see Agenda).Working sessions of the meeting were kindly hosted for two days by theAssociazione degli Industriali della Provincia di Sassari at Villa Mimosa in Sassari.The participants of the meeting welcomed several scientists of the Associazione, theUniversita di Sassari and the Istituto Sperimentale per il Sughero, to attend theworking sessions and to contribute to the discussions.