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The risks and costs of exotic pests to Australia’s forest industry
Abstract   Peer reviewed

The risks and costs of exotic pests to Australia’s forest industry

Angus Carnegie, Simon A Lawson, Tim Wardlaw, Nick Cameron and Tyron J Venn
IUFRO Working Party 7.02.13 Meeting: Improving forest health on commercial plantations Book of Abstracts, p.31
IUFRO Working Party 7.02.13 Meeting: Improving forest health on commercial plantations (Punta del Este, Uruguay, 21-Mar-2018–23-Mar-2018)
2018
url
https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/proceedings-archive/70213-puntadeleste18-abstracts.pdfView
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Abstract

Forestry Sciences
Australia's 123 million ha of native forest and woodlands provide a wide range of benefits, including social (recreation), environmental (conservation) and commercial (e.g. forestry, tourism, honey). What is often overlooked is the ecological, economic and social value of our amenity forests and trees in urban and peri-urban environments, and these trees are often the first point of establishment of exotic pests. Here we investigate the risk of exotic pests to Australian forests and calculate the economic costs when they establish. A review of current biosecurity activities and a survey of industry personnel revealed that forest biosecurity in Australia is currently under-resourced, but there are opportunities for greater involvement from industry, government and other stakeholders. Over 125 exotic pests and pathogens of arborescent hosts have established in Australia since 1900, with 15% of these causing significant damage or ongoing management costs. Border interception data was analysed along with trade data (commodities that vector pests) to gain an understanding of the risk of further exotic pests arriving to Australia. We found an increase in interceptions of important pests over the past 15 years, concomitant with an increase in trade. The control program for the primary Pinus pest in Australia (Sirex wood wasp) has cost AU$16.5 million over the past 65 years, with the Green Triangle outbreak costing $23.8 million. We conducted an exotic pest incursion scenario, using pine wilt disease, to explore the financial impact of exotic pests establishing in softwood plantations in Australia, and the benefits of conducting biosecurity activities to lower the chance of them establishing. The outcomes from this project will be used to get greater stakeholder engagement and involvement in forest biosecurity in Australia.

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