Register for: Forest Biosecurity Awareness Workshop

Forest Biosecurity awareness training will allow Arborists to recognise types of native and invasive pest and disease symptoms in the field.  Often an agent causing a problem will have been and gone but it’s the symptoms they leave behind that are important to recognise.  It will include types of damage that are specific to a particular agent, which allows a problem to be identified in the field. 

Pests and diseases are difficult to identify and may need to be sent to a laboratory for diagnosis.  This training will teach Arborists the correct sample collection techniques and field photography.

The workshop will also focus on exotic pests and diseases that have the potential to devastate our native forests and forest industries.  Trained forest health specialists conduct post border pest and disease surveillance.  However, the number of experts is limited.  Training Arborists in exotic pest and disease awareness boosts the number of eyes capable of identifying potentially damaging pests and diseases. This will help to highlight future threats increasing our capacity to detect exotic pests and pathogens before they become established.

Early detection is important in reducing the possibility of spread of these exotic pests and establishment in our native and commercial forests.

 Aim

Exotic pests threaten environmental biodiversity values unique to Australia.  This training focuses on forest biosecurity awareness and surveillance and aims to increase the capacity of Arborists to detect, report and monitor priority environmental exotic plant pest and disease threats. 

 Outcome

• Arborists will have the ability to detect symptoms of native and invasive pests and diseases in the field.
• Arborists will learn the correct techniques for collecting pest and disease samples in the field.
• Arborists will gain knowledge on the importance of practicing field hygiene.
• Increased environmental biosecurity awareness, detection and reporting capacity.
• Improved capacity to report on forest health status, as per Australian Government environmental department’s international and statutory responsibilities relevant to invasive species