Invasive Urban Forest Pest Roundtable

Hosted By: Washington Invasive Species Council & Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Date/Time: Tuesday, June 22nd 10AM-12PM PST / 1-3PM EST

CEUs: This session has been approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) under the ISA Certification Program. A total of 1.75 CEU’s are available for arborists attending the webinar. Description: City trees lead difficult lives—from having to survive in compacted soils to combating the effects of climate change. Reasons for tree decline in cities can be multifaceted, ranging from real-estate development to pests and disease. Join DNR Urban & Community Forestry Program and the Washington Invasive Species Council for an Urban Forest Pest Roundtable, where we will hear from a number of invasive species experts on newly evolving updates of the emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly and Mediterranean oak borer:

• Emerald Ash Borer: Herb Bolton, National Policy Manager, will present on the current extend of EAB, it’s spread, and what regulatory actions the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has ended since the pest’s recent Federal deregulation. The audience will also briefly hear about the continuation of the APHIS EAB program for biological control.
• Spotted lanternfly: Spotted lanternfly is a highly destructive insect that has appeared in several states on the east coast. A skilled hitchhiker, it is quickly moving its way West. Joshua Milnes, Washington State Department of Agriculture, will present on what this pest threatens, and what’s being done to control and stop its spread.
• Mediterranean Oak Borer: New pests are regularly detected throughout the United States that can lead to outbreaks in urban areas. Recently, in 2019, a new invasive borer was discovered in California. David Pegos and Curtis Ewing, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento and CALFIRE will share what we need to know about this emerging oak borer called the Mediterranean oak borer (MOB).

This seminar is part of our ongoing work to improve response readiness for detections of new urban forest pests through Washington’s Urban Forest Pest Readiness Project. Additional materials and information.

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Agenda:

• 9:50 AM Audience Engagement Polls: As attendees are joining the webinar, a number of questions will be displayed as a poll on the Zoom screen asking them about their knowledge of invasive forest pest identification, management, and perceived readiness to combat a new outbreak.
• 10:00 AM Introductions (5 minutes): Welcome and introduction of all presenters.
• 10:05 AM Run of Show (5 minutes): Review of agenda and overview of pests being covered, zoom housekeeping instructions, etc.
• 10:10 AM Overview of the Urban Forest Pest Readiness Project (10 minutes): Justin Bush, Executive Director of the WA Invasive Species Council will provide an overview of the WA Urban Forest Pest Readiness project and playbook , which is a tool to prepare communities for potential pest outbreaks through self-assessments and recommended actions.
• 10:20 AM Roundtable Session 1: Emerald Ash Borer (20-25 minutes)
• 10:45 AM Roundtable Session 2: Spotted Lanternfly (20-25 minutes)
• 11:10 AM Roundtable Session 3: Mediterranean Oak Borer (20-25 minutes) (Key items: identification, signs, symptoms, survey efforts, current status and extent, regulations, and review of any control efforts, etc.)
• 11:35 AM Pest Roundtable Panel Discussion (25 minutes): Presenters will reconvene as a panel to answer questions from the audience and will discuss actions that cities can take to become better prepared for urban forest pest outbreaks.