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• Henke, Department Ecoinformatics, Biometrics & Forest Growth, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany ORCID ID: – E-mail: mhenke@uni-goettingen.de
• Huckemann, Institute of Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany ORCID ID: – E-mail: huckeman@math.uni-goettingen.de
• Kurth, Department Ecoinformatics, Biometrics & Forest Growth, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany ORCID ID: – E-mail: wk@informatik.uni-goettingen.de
• Sloboda, Department Ecoinformatics, Biometrics & Forest Growth, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany ORCID ID: – E-mail: bslobod@web.de

• Fridman, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: jonas.fridman@slu.se
• Holm, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: soren.holm@slu.se
• Nilsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: mats.nilsson@slu.se
• Nilsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: per.nilsson@slu.se
• Ringvall, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: Anna.Ringvall@slu.se
• Ståhl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: goran.stahl@slu.se

Progenies from open pollinated cones collected in natural populations of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) distributed along two altitudinal transects in Mid-Norway were tested in the nursery, in short term tests and in long-term field trials. The populations showed clinal variation related to the mean annual temperatures of the populations, with the earliest bud flush and cessation of shoot elongation and lowest height at age nine years for the high altitude populations. Within population variation was considerable as the narrow sense heritability for these traits was 0.67, 0.31 and 0.09 in one transect and 0.55, 0.18 and 0.14 in the other transect, respectively. Lammas shoots occurred in the short term trials with large variation in frequency between years. There was significant family variation for this trait, but also interactions between populations and year. The variance within populations was considerably larger in the populations from low altitude compared to the high-altitude populations. Significant genetic correlations between height and phenology traits and damage scores indicate that families flushing early and ceasing growth late were taller. Taller families also had higher frequencies of damages. Selection of the top 20% families for height growth in short term tests at age nine years gave a simulated gain of 11% increased height growth at age 18 years in long term trials at altitudes similar to those of origin of the populations. The gain was negative when high altitude populations were selected based on testing in the lowland.

• Skrøppa, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431 Ås, Norway ORCID ID: – E-mail: tore.skroppa@nibio.no
• Steffenrem, ORCID ID: – E-mail: –

Land degradation is widespread and a serious threat affecting the livelihoods of 1.5 billion people worldwide of which one sixth or 250 million people reside in drylands. Globally, it is estimated that 10–20% of drylands are already degraded and about 12 million ha are degraded each year. Driven by unsustainable land use practices, adverse climatic conditions and population increase, land degradation has led to decline in provision of ecosystem services, food insecurity, social and political instability and reduction in the ecosystem’s resilience to natural climate variability. Several global initiatives have been launched to combat land degradation, including rehabilitation of degraded drylands. This review aimed at collating the current state-of-knowledge about rehabilitation of degraded drylands. It was found that the prospect of restoring degraded drylands is technically promising using a suite of passive (e.g. area exclosure, assisted natural regeneration, rotational grazing) and active (e.g. mixed-species planting, framework species, maximum diversity, and use of nurse tree) rehabilitation measures. Advances in soil reclamation using biological, chemical and physical measures have been made. Despite technical advances, the scale of rehabilitation intervention is small and lacks holistic approach. Development of process-based models that forecast outcomes of the various rehabilitation activities will be useful tools for researchers and practitioners. The concept of forest landscape restoration approach, which operates at landscape-level, could also be adopted as the overarching framework for rehabilitation of degraded dryland ecosystems. The review identified a data gap in cost-benefit analysis of rehabilitation interventions. However, the cost of rehabilitation and sustainable management of drylands is opined to be lower than the losses that accrue from inaction, depending on the degree of degradation. Thus, local communities’ participation, incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge, clear division of tasks and benefits, strengthening local institutions are crucial not only for cost-sharing, but also for the long-term success of rehabilitation activities.

• Yirdaw, Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI), Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: eshetu.yirdaw@helsinki.fi
• Tigabu, Sveriges Lantbruks Universitet (SLU), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, P.O. Box 49, SE-230 53, Alnarp, Sweden ORCID ID: – E-mail: Mulualem.Tigabu@slu.se
• Monge, Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI), Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: adrian.mongemonge@helsinki.fi

• Kaakkurivaara, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Green technology, Kaironiementie 15, FI-39700 Parkano, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: tomi.kaakkurivaara@gmail.com
• Vuorimies, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.Box 600, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: nuutti.vuorimies@tut.fi
• Kolisoja, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.Box 600, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: pauli.kolisoja@tut.fi
• Uusitalo, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Green technology, Kaironiementie 15, FI-39700 Parkano, Finland ORCID ID: – E-mail: jori.uusitalo@luke.fi