Joint Conference of COST Action Urban Tree Guard (CA20132) and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO): ‘Biosecurity and Surveillance of Quarantine Pests of Trees in Forests and Cities’

2025-09-08/10, Carcavelos, Portugal

Photo of the conference

A conference ‘Biosecurity and Surveillance of Quarantine Pests of Trees in Forests and Cities’ was co-organized by the COST Action Urban Tree Guard (CA20132: Safeguarding European urban trees and forests through improved biosecurity) and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). The event was hosted by Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I. P. (INIAV) and GREEN-IT in Carcavelos (Portugal). For the COST Action, it was the final meeting of the 4-year project.

The conference was attended by more than 80 participants, including experts from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the FAO Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe and Central Asia (REUFIS), National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) of several countries of the EPPO region and other countries, plant health scientists, policy officials, quarantine experts, pest control specialists, academia professionals and post-graduate students from 27 countries. Six members of the EPPO Panel on Quarantine Pests for Forestry (PQPF) also took part in the meeting.

The scope of the conference covered a broad range of topics related to surveillance of quarantine forest tree pests and forest tree biosecurity, with a particular focus on urban environments. Themes included:

biosecurity strategies to prevent the introduction and spread of pests in forest and urban environments
current practices and challenges faced by NPPOs in surveillance of quarantine forest pests
innovative tools and solutions for the surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of tree pests in forest and urban environments
tree resistance and vulnerability: speciesspecific responses to pests
stakeholder perspectives: communities, professionals, and authorities in urban tree health
education and awareness: promoting knowledge and action on urban tree health and biosecurity
policy and decisionmaking frameworks that support biosecurity of trees and forests in urban contexts

Photo of conference attendees

Surveillance and Monitoring – Strategies, Regulations and Experiences

The first session, entitled ‘Surveillance and Monitoring – Strategies, Regulations and Experiences’, opened with a presentation by Mr Musolin (EPPO), who reviewed regional and international cooperation in the surveillance of quarantine pests of forest trees, with a particular focus on the international and regional standards and protocols developed by the IPPC and EPPO. Mr Kaluski (EFSA) then discussed the optimization of plant pest surveys for broadleaved trees through the application of EFSA guidelines and tools. Ms Mirazchiyska (European Commission and PQPF) presented an overview of the EU legal framework and recent developments in plant health surveillance within the European Union. Finally, Mr Lakatos (FAO REUFIS) addressed capacity building for forest invasive species surveillance, highlighting recent and ongoing REUFIS initiatives.

Several presentations were devoted to national forest surveillance systems. Ms Webber (Forest Research, GB, and PQPF) examined the divergence between regulation and science based on the experience of the United Kingdom. Mr Bonifácio (INIAV, PT, and PQPF) reported on quarantine forest pest surveillance in Portugal, while Ms Matosevic (Croatian Forest Research Institute, HR, and PQPF) analyzed practices and challenges in quarantine pest surveillance in Croatia. Mr McDonald (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, IE, and PQPF) presented the case of forest health surveillance in Ireland, and Mr Augustinus (Swiss Federal Research Institute, CH) discussed the optimization of surveillance for multiple quarantine forest pests using a bioeconomic model developed in Switzerland. Ms Raum (Technical University of Munich, DE) reviewed the growing threat of urban tree pests, their impacts, risk awareness, and the actions required.

Two further talks in this session addressed specific quarantine forest pests: the canker stain caused by Ceratocystis platani in France (Mr Maire; Arboriste Conseil, FR) and the emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis together with Poland’s preparedness for this biosecurity threat (Ms Całusińska; State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service, PL).

Tools and Methods applied in Surveillance and Biosecurity

The second session focused on the Tools and Methods applied in Surveillance and Biosecurity. Mr Meurisse (Bioeconomy Science Institute, NZ) reviewed New Zealand’s system for the early detection of exotic pests across urban and forest environments, developed through integrated risk-based surveillance. Mr Roques (INRAE, FR) presented the main findings of the PORTRAP SORE 2021–2024 project, a trapping network employing generic lures for the early detection of non-native xylophagous insect species at ports of entry in France. Mr Guitton (Telespazio, FR) introduced a novel technology — synthetic data augmentation — for improving tree pest detection in aerial imagery. Finally, Ms Parker (Forestry Commission, GB) reported on trapping activities for the early detection of quarantine Agrilus species in Great Britain.

Ms Matosevic (HR), Ms Terhonen (Luke, FI), Mr Erik Jönsson (Stångby Plantskola, SE), Mr Meurisse (NZ), and Mr McCarthy (IE) were then invited by the organizers to form a panel and lead a discussion on biosecurity strategies for forest protection and their links with science and education. The experts shared their views and experiences from different countries regarding surveillance practices for quarantine forest pests, emphasizing that regulations and models are often not harmonized either within or between countries. Several questions concerned biosecurity approaches applied in the EU, such as the planting of native versus non-native tree species, and the perspectives and costs of conserving the tree species which are currently the most threatened in Europe (e.g. elm and ash) for future generations. The experts also discussed the role of citizen science in surveillance for quarantine pests of woody plants, noting that it is often not official bodies but citizen scientists who are the first to detect new pests and report them to NPPOs or online platforms.

Decision-Support for Biosecurity

The third session was devoted to Decision-Support for Biosecurity. Mr Jactel (INRAE, FR) presented a prototype decision-making tool for selecting tree species to plant in urban areas. Mr Latini (Università degli Studi della Tuscia, IT) discussed new challenges in monitoring tree health and invasive pests in urban environments and in supporting decision-making. Mr Marchioro (University of Padua, IT) introduced the world’s first database on the biology and distribution of Scolytinae, developed for EFSA. Ms Grosdidier (INRAE, FR) shared France’s experience in improving pinewood nematode monitoring through risk analysis. Mr Santini (CNR, IT) addressed the control of canker stain disease of plane trees in Europe. Finally, Ms Augustinus (Swiss Federal Research Institute, CH) reported on the European Urban Tree Inventory (EUTI).

Pests and Pathogens in Urban Settings

Presentations in the fourth session, Pests and Pathogens in Urban Settings, primarily focused on specific pests and case studies. For example, Mr Woodward (Isparta University of Applied Sciences, TR) discussed Ceratocystis platani in Türkiye, Mr Sumner-Kalkun (Forest Research, GB) addressed Ips typographus in the United Kingdom, and Ms Blumenstein (University of Freiburg, DE) gave a presentation on Dothistroma needle blight. Several other presentations highlighted research projects, training activities, and site visits carried out within the framework of the COST Action Urban Tree Guard.

Group photo of Conference attendees

The full program, abstract book and selected presentations will soon be available on the website of the conference.