Recently it seems like every day we are being invaded by different bug species in Washington State, but how many are we really facing? Turns out there are a lot more invasive species of insects in Washington State than I knew about. If you see any of these, make sure to kill them and then take a picture to send to the WSDA.
Australia has a comprehensive plant biosecurity system, with the federal government responsible for pre-border (e.g., off-shore compliance) and border (e.g. import inspections) activities, while state governments undertake a variety of post-border activities (e.g., post-border surveillance, management of pest incursions, and regulation of pests) designed to reduce exotic pest arrival and establishment. Once an exotic pest has established and spread, its management, like that of endemic species, becomes the responsibility of the land manager. There has been a growing understanding among plant industries of the need to be more engaged in post-border biosecurity activities, including resourcing and undertaking early-detection surveillance and contingency planning. Here we summarise Australia’s broader plant biosecurity system along with current, forest-specific biosecurity surveillance activities. We then introduce a proposal for a forest biosecurity partnership between the federal gove