COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

Preface
The consideration to prepare a common publication with basic information on European beech
genetic resources in European countries was initially proposed during an introductory COST Action
E52 Working and Management Committee Meeting (WMCM) in Zvolen, Slovakia (October, 2006)
and at that meeting it was agreed in principle by the participants. However, the proposal becomes
a firm commitment at the COST Action E52 WMCM in Florence (April, 2008), when the Czech
Republic representatives undertook to coordinate the work and so ensured this common publication.
Financial assistance from the COST Action E52 resources was approved during COST Action E52
WMCM in Rzesow, Poland (October, 2008). During the COST Action E52 WMCM in Sopron,
Hungary (October, 2009) the details on the publication were further developed. The editors convey
a special thanks to the initiative of Prof. Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), who suggested that contact should
also be made with other countries situated in the original natural distribution area of European
beech, including some countries with natural occurrence of oriental beech, and to ask them for their
collaboration in the project.
At the end of this four years process, we would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the
Communicationes Instituti Forestalis Bohemicae publication staff, especially to Mgr. Eva Krupičková,
Klára Šimerová, Šárka Holzbachová, DiS. and Marta Čížková, DiS. for their forbearance and patience
in the preparation work of these proceedings.
We would also wish to acknowledge all the authors from the COST Action E52 working group and
other authors from various institutions for their timely processing of papers, also to all reviewers for
their work and effort which contributed to the completion of this publication at a remarkable level.
A special acknowledgment from first two editors belongs to John Fennessy (Ireland) for his support
role in the various contributions. Finally we wish to express our grateful thanks to the financial
support from the COST Office, too.
Josef Frýdl, Petr Novotný, John Fennessy & Georg von Wühlisch
Editors