Natural Regeneration, Genetic Diversity and Provenance of Introduced Fagus sylvatica L. Stands in Latvia

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) has a wide distribution range through Central and Western Europe, and is tolerant to a range of environmental factors and shade. Due to the wood quality and growth rate, there is increasing interest in this species in Northern Europe, which is further boosted by closer to nature forestry management practices, where shade tolerant species are essential. Latvia is located to the north of the natural range of European beech, but stands have been successfully established in the 19th century, using reproductive material of unknown origin. This study investigated the natural regeneration, genetic diversity and population structure, and provenance of Latvian F.sylvatica using nuclear microsatellite markers. Stands from two areas in western Latvia were analysed – Skede and Kaleti. Parent-offspring analyses did not identify a decrease in genetic diversity parameters in the naturally regenerated offspring, indicating that the introduced F.sylvatica populations have adapted to Latvian conditions, and natural regeneration has not decreased the genetic viability of these populations. Genetic diversity was low in Kaleti stand, probably as a result of the reproductive material used to establish this stand. Bayesian clustering analysis indicated that the most likely provenance of the Skede stand in Latvia was from southern Germany.