Major forest pest and pathogens affecting Australian plantation forests

Forest health monitoring and surveillance programs have been carried out across Australia for more than 25 years. These programs detect and map the extent, severity and incidence of pests and diseases in the softwood (exotic Pinus and native Araucaria) and hardwood (Eucalyptus) plantation estate. Forest insect pests and pathogens affecting plantations vary widely across the country due to differences in climate, site, and species planted. Endemic and established-exotic pests and pathogens continue to impact the plantation timber industry, pre- and post-harvest, and forest nursery production. Regular abiotic disturbances such as wildfire, drought and storms contribute to the severity and distribution of pest and pathogen outbreaks that affect sustainability, marketability, and profitability. In this poster we present the major insect pests and pathogens impacting both hardwood and softwood plantations across Australia. The aim of this poster is to initiate discussion of the risks posed by these biotic agents and the potential risks posed by them to other countries growing these tree species. Examples of hardwood agents to be presented are: Myrtle Rust, Teratosphaeria leaf disease, Paropsis leaf beetles and Autumn Gum Moth; and for softwoods agents such as Sirex wood wasp, Essigella californica, Dothistroma septosporum, Stasseria geniculate and Phellinus root rot. This pictorial poster will be developed by four forest health and surveillance experts working across Australia on a variety of different tree species.