[PCA] TNC Report on Forest Insects and Disease

[Megan_Haidet at fws.gov]

Take a look at the document titled, An Ounce of Prevention: How to stop 
Invasive Insects and Diseases from Devastating U.S. Forests, a recent 
paper from The Nature Conservancy Forest Health Program.  

To view the pdf. document, visit: 
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/forests/files/ounceofpreventionsingle1.pdf 



A message from The Nature Conservancy, 

Invasive insects and plant diseases are taking a disastrous toll on U.S. 
forests.  Imported nursery stock -- trees, garden plants, roots, seeds and 
cuttings brought in from other countries for sale to the U.S. consumer-- 
are one of two chief pathways bringing invasive insects and diseases into 
American forests. (The other principal pathway is wood packaging material 
- crates, pallets, etc.)  Of about 25 highly damaging forest pests and 
diseases introduced since the middle of the 19th Century, 19 have probably 
reached the U.S. on imported live plants.  Half of those pests and 
diseases entered the country in the past 35 years.   

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) is the primary agency tasked with preventing the entry of 
potentially invasive pests and pathogens.  While APHIS has recently 
adopted overarching regulations requiring treatment of wood packaging, 
regulations governing imports of plants were large written a generation 
ago.  The risk of pest introductions has risen sharply as numbers of plant 
imports and source countries have grown.    

APHIS has begun revising its regulations - but it is moving slowly in the 
face of a looming crisis. The attached report from The Nature Conservancy, 
“Ounce of Prevention,” outlines some of the challenges inherent in this 
rulemaking and suggests one possible approach to minimizing the risk of 
pest introductions associated with plant imports. 

We recognize that our suggestion is not the only possible approach.  We 
would welcome a dialogue with you and others who are on the front lines of 
phytosanitary protection to explore how we might work together to find the 
best way forward.   

The report is also available on paper, should you prefer. 

To view the pdf. document, visit: 
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/forests/files/ounceofpreventionsingle1.pdf

Faith T. Campbell, Ph.D. 
Forest Health Program 
Global Forest Partnership
The Nature Conservancy 
703-841-4881 
fcampbell at tnc.org 




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