PNRGF Guémené-Penfao

Established in 1968 with funding from the French National Forestry Fund (FFN), these state-run nurseries, initially experimental, have seen their missions evolve over the past 50 years. The Guémené-Penfao National Forest Genetic Resources Center (PNRGF) currently carries out four main areas of work as part of a public service mission focused on forest genetic resources: 

• conservation of forest biodiversity, 
• study of forest adaptation to climate change,
•  improvement and creation of varieties, 
• assessment of the quality and characterization of forest reproductive material (FRM). 

These areas of work are developed in partnership with national research institutes, stakeholders in the forestry and timber sector, and local authorities. Two other identical sites exist in France to cover the wide diversity of tree species and uses of French forests. The Guémené-Penfao site covers 30 hectares and focuses on lowland broadleaf trees. These three national genetic resource centers, previously attached to the Regional Directorates for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DRAAF), were integrated into the National Forestry Office (ONF) 10 years ago. 

Since 2013, the Guémené-Penfao Regional Genetic Resource Center (PNRGF) has benefited from significant investment, enabling it to adapt its technical facilities to the evolving challenges of climate change: tunnel greenhouses, a cold storage facility, and a seed laboratory have recently been built. 

These investments have modernized the research and experimentation structures and equipment, with the construction of 3,000 m² of greenhouses capable of housing more than 60,000 plants in different, controlled climate environments.