Das Projekt "Koordinierung der Bewahrung, Kennzeichnung, Sammlung und Verwertung von Erbgut der Europaeischen Ulme" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Niedersächsische Forstliche Versuchsanstalt durchgeführt. The main objective of this project is the long term conservation of the threatened biodiversity within European Elms, through the maintenance of an ex situ collection of material originating from nine countries respective of the entired geographic range of the EU. It will include clones already stored in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, and be completed by clones acquired in Portugal, Greece, UK, Belgium and Sweden. All this material will be maintained in suitable clonal field banks and cryopreserved. It will be described with molecular and morphological characters, and recorded in a database. It will also be evaluted for its susceptibility to DED with the objective of increasing the diversity of material available for the afforestation, amenity planting and the reconstruction of hedges. A long term plan for the conservation of elm genetic rescources in Europe will be established in collaboration with EUFORGEN.