New Zealand Journal of Forestry (2014) 59(2): 3–8
©New Zealand Institute of Forestry

Feature article
Biosecurity risks to New Zealand’s plantation forests and the rationale for pathway risk management

Eckehard Brockerhoff ¹ and Lindsay Bulman <sup>2

1</sup> Forest entomologist, Scion
² Science leader, Forest Protection Group, Scion

Insect pests and pathogens can cause considerable damage to trees. While our planted forests have been affected by comparatively few pests and pathogens so far, many such species occur overseas and their arrival in New Zealand could have devastating consequences. This article provides an overview of the more important insect pests and pathogens of pines and other tree species planted in New Zealand and some of the known overseas threats. While we have a good understanding of the risks posed by many overseas pests and pathogens, experience indicates that there are many threats that are unknown, either because their behaviour in a new environment differs from that in their native range or because they are unknown to science. We therefore conclude that pathway risk management that addresses pests and pathogens in a more general way, irrespective of their identity, is critical to protecting New Zealand’s forest biosecurity.
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