Forest Watch Australia

About the Forest Watch program

Forest Watch Australia is a national surveillance program for forest and timber pests. These pests pose a risk to native, plantation and urban forest trees.

We conduct surveillance activities at high-risk areas across Victoria. Early detection of forest pests gives the greatest opportunity for eradication or containment.

Forest Watch is a formal partnership between the forestry industry, Plant Health Australia, and Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

What pests are we looking for?

Exotic longhorn beetles

Longhorn beetles (Figure 1) are wood-boring beetles that attack hardwood trees. They pose a serious threat to Australian forestry and agricultural industries.

Sawyer beetles

Sawyer beetles (Figure 2) pose a serious threat to forest and amenity trees. Some species can carry and spread Bursaphelenchus nematodes.

Burnt pine longicorn

Burnt pine longicorns (Figure 3) could have devastating impacts on pine plantation and timber production in Australia.

Exotic bark beetles

Bark beetles (Figure 4 and 5) are a threat to coniferous trees and shrubs. Pine trees are a preferred host. Beetles can weaken timber and may spread fungal pathogens that can cause significant disease in trees.

How we do surveillance

We conduct visual surveillance and trapping to detect forest pests.

Traps are designed to attract and capture specific insects.

Cross-vane panel traps (see Figure 6) are used to capture a variety of forest pests. The trap has lures and collection buckets. The bottom bucket contains chemicals to preserve specimens.

Image credits

• Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5: Steven Valley, Oregon Department of Agriculture, bugwood.org.
• Figure 3: Pest and Diseases Image Library, bugwood.org.
• Figure 6: Agriculture Victoria.