Assessing Risk of Foreign Pest Entry Via the Solid Wood Packing Material Pathway. J. E. Pasek, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Raleigh, NC
Recent introductions of forest pests associated with solid wood packing materials demonstrate the inadequacy of current United States import regulations for excluding such pests. A pest risk assessment was developed for the solid wood packing material pathway to provide a scientific basis for development of stricter import requirements. A comprehensive assessment of the many potential pest species worldwide was impossible. Instead, 20 pests of concern representing an array of geographical origins, host types, and pest habits were selected, including insects, fungi, and nematodes. For each pest, seven risk elements were evaluated by experts to obtain an overall ranking (high, moderate, low) for pest risk potential as described by Orr and others (1993). Probability of pest establishment was described by elements for: pest with host at origin potential, entry potential, colonization potential, and spread potential. Elements describing consequences of establishment included: economic damage potential, environmental damage potential, and social and political considerations. Past use of this methodology relied upon expert opinion to define risk levels. To improve rating consistency, objectivity, and transparency, criteria were developed to define each element. In general, the number of criteria that applied for a particular pest to a particular risk element then defined the level of risk for that element. Selection of a few specific criteria resulted in a mandatory element rating of high (e.g., repeated interceptions at ports of entry for entry potential). In addition to the qualitative rankings for economic impact potential, quantitative projections were developed for 9 pests based upon scenarios of introduction and spread.
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