The international conference of the EPPO/FAO Working Group “Implementation of Phytosanitary Standards in Forestry” was held from June 9-11, 2015 in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, bringing together forestry and plant protection experts from across Europe and Asia.

Over 50 representatives from 22 countries attended, including specialists from forest protection services and phytosanitary inspection agencies. Ukraine’s delegation was headed by K.V. Davydenko, Director of SSFPE “Kharkivlisozakhyst” (link: http://lisozahyst.org.ua/).

Key discussion topics included:

Major forest pests and diseases with control methodologies
Quarantine and regulated organisms in forestry
Implementation of International Phytosanitary Standards (ISPMs)
Global trade of forest products and associated risks
Innovative pest detection technologies

Notable presentations included Hungary’s long-term invasive species monitoring program and Austria’s innovative use of specially trained dogs for pest detection in wood packaging materials.

The conference highlighted the importance of the FAO Guide to Implementation of Phytosanitary Standards in Forestry, which covers:

Global forest protection strategies
Regulation of international wood trade
Integrated pest management approaches
Wood packaging material standards
Phytosanitary certification systems

The Guide is available in English (link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i2080e/i2080e00.htm) and Russian (link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2080r/i2080r.pdf) versions.

Participants agreed to strengthen international cooperation in forest quarantine measures and implement conference recommendations in their respective countries.