The provenance of tree seed or stock refers to its geographical origins. Choosing the appropriate tree species and provenance for the site characteristics and local climate is a key management decision.

However, provenance choice for a changing climate is complex, uncertain and the approach is likely to be different for sites where the main objective is timber production compared to those with primarily conservation objectives.

• The extent and timing of change in climate conditions varies across the UK, so the balance between any risks in introduced planting material and benefits in being better suited to future climates varies, e.g. in southern and eastern England choosing planting material for anticipated increased soil moisture constraints is likely to be important, while in Scotland ensuring material has appropriate bud set and frost tolerance may be the key factor.
• Consider collecting and planting locally produced seed from existing plantations to increase local adaptation to a site.
• Where timber is the main objective, seed should be sourced from breeding programmes, and if this is not available, from the Forest Reproductive Materials (FRM) ‘Selected’ category of stands.
• Where planting exotic species, ideally use stock which has undergone provenance testing and, subsequently, choose UK sources of seed to encourage the development of genotypes adapted to UK conditions.

For further advice see the UKFS Practice Guide ‘Adapting forest and woodland management to the changing climate’.