European black poplar (Populus nigra L.) is an ecological important fast growing and short-lived forest tree species of mixed riparian forests with the physiological adaptation to colonise open areas after distrubances and survice changes associated with dynamic river systems. It enables natural control of flooding, is a keystone species for dynamic conservation and habitat restoration of floodplain forests, and is considered as an indicator species for the healt and biodiversity of riparian ecosystems. European black poplar is also known for its inherent ability to grow rapidly and taking up large volumes of water and nutrients in polluted industrial zones, for microclimate for phytoremediation, restoration, and environmental applications in polluted industrial zones, for microclimate regulation and for the improvement of biological diversity in open agricultural landscapes. It is used as a parent pool for several poplar breeding programs around the world. It can bei managed easily by coppicing, which makes it suitable for long-term conservation of the best genotypes of pure European black poplar plant material in ex situ collections. A wide range of recommendations for in situ conservation units and ex situ conservation methods were proposed within the framework of EUFORGEN and later approved by several regional projects.
