Further to the main goal of the Network, agreed as being the "identification of minimum gene conservation activities from a European perspective in the long term", it was decided at the first meeting to develop a joint gene conservation strategy. It was agreed to structure the strategy according to genera and groups of species as follows :

The strategies aim at providing guidance to Network members and stimulate activities at a national level. They will also serve as a basis for developing concise, practically oriented recommendations (‘technical guidelines’) for gene conservation of Noble Hardwoods. The strategies, concentrating on the various Noble Hardwoods genera and groups of species, illustrate that different options and approaches are possible.

Some species are rare under almost all conditions whereas others are rare close to the margin of their distribution area. This means that gene conservation to be applied for a species in its marginal areas may be different from the methods in the areas in which it is common. Therefore, general principles for gene conservation, with population size as a critical starting point, will be elaborated and included in the guidelines.

For forest managers who implement gene conservation at a practical level it will be useful to obtain some basic knowledge in evolutionary genetics. The technical guidelines for gene conservation of European Noble Hardwoods to be produced by the Network will also be complemented with a chapter providing such basic overview of forest genetic concepts.