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Funding Shortfalls Threaten Our Trees – & Are Becoming Worse

Experts have recognized for two decades that funding of federal programs intended to prevent or respond to introductions of invasive species is inadequate. As regards tree-killing insects and pathogens, there have been spikes in the past, spurred by, first, detection of Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer, then by federal spending increases to support recovery from the Great Recession.

But with renewed pressure to reduce the federal budget, programs operated by APHIS and the USDA Forest Service have suffered significant cuts in spending. For a history of these cuts, read Chapter 3 in Fading Forests III .

Funding for key programs continue. Most alarming is that these cuts are suggested by the Administration! in its annual budget sent to Congress. I don’t know whether the cuts are suggested by the agencies, or instead are imposed by higher-ups in the Department of Agriculture or at the President’s Office of Management and Budget.

Certainly there is competition for the available funds. APHIS is funded by the Agriculture Appropriations bill, which also funds agriculture programs that enjoy strong lobbying support as well as food stamps. The Forest Service is being squeezed by the ever-higher costs of managing wildfires.

Still, these cuts threaten to expose our wildland, rural, and urban forests to permanent destruction by non-native, tree-killing insects and pathogens.

Congress determines the final funding levels through the appropriations process.

Members of Congress work for us!!

Ask your member of Congress & senators to support adequate funding for APHIS & USFS programs that counter invasive, non-native tree-killing pests.

Congress’ actions are at the following stage as of the third week in July:

APHIS

The House Subcommittee on Agricultural Appropriations bill had cut funding for “tree and wood pest” group – although the bill did increase funding for the “specialty crops” program.

In both cases, groups with which I work had asked to maintain the FY15 level.

The Senate bill, adopted by the full Appropriations Committee on 16 July, has restored funding to the “tree and wood pest” line! Possibly because of this increase, it holds the “specialty crops” program funding to the FY15 level.

Funding specifics:

HOUSE Agriculture appropriations bill maintains overall funding for APHIS at the FY15 level ($871 million). This is $15 million above the President’s request in his budget; and about the same as the level of funding for the current fiscal year (FY 2015). Within this amount, the following is allocated to programs that address tree-killing pests:

$158,000,000, to remain available until expended, for specialty crop pests

(a very small proportion of this account, about $5 million, goes to sudden oak death management)

$45,500,000, to remain available until expended, for tree and wood pests (e.g., ALB, EAB)

SENATE Agriculture appropriations bill raised overall funding for APHIS to $876 M — $20 million above the President’s budget request and $5 M above both the current year and House level. Within this amount, the following is allocated to programs that address for tree-killing pests:

$156,000,000, to remain available until expended, for specialty crop pests
$54,000,000, to remain available until expended, for tree and wood pests

As I said above, it is disturbing that these programs do not enjoy sufficient support within the Administration. We all need to increase our lobbying of USDA – both at the APHIS level and above; and at OMB.

USDA Forest Service

Both the House and Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee bills cut USFS funding for both research and forest health management.

The House interior appropriations bill provides only $207 million for research other than Forest Inventory and Assessment. The Senate interior appropriations bill provides $211 million for research other than FIA. Both figures are below the $220 million allocated for the current year (FY2015) and higher levels in previous years.

The House bill provides only $99 million for forest health management (on both federal and non-federal or “coop” lands). The Senate bill provides $100.7 million. Again, both figures are below the $104.6 million provided in FY15 and higher levels in previous years.

Funding for all USFS programs is under extreme pressure by the growing cost of fighting wildfires. Until this problem is resolved, it will be extremely difficult to obtain additional funds for other programs – even in the face of rising numbers of tree-killing pests across the country. There are also questions within OMB and among some advocacy groups about whether the USFS should assist states and cities in containing tree-killing pests. Some argue that the USFS should confine its efforts to pests that are attacking trees in National forests. My reply: if you wait for ALB or other pests to reach National forests before responding, you have thrown away any chance of containing the outbreak.

California Government Ignores Threats to State’s Hardwood Trees

CDFA Fails to Regulate Movement of Firewood

Many of California’s hardwood trees are threatened by two introduced insects – the goldspotted oak borer (or here) and the polyphagous shot hole borer or here. Both are established in southern California, but threaten trees throughout the state.

One of the most likely pathways by which these insects can be moved to vulnerable areas is by the transport of firewood. Yet the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) has not regulated firewood movement.

goldspotted oak borer

Two Tree-Killers

California’s oaks – including California black oak, canyon live oak, coast live oak, Engelmann oak, Shreve’s oak, and valley oak – are threatened by one of both of these insects. The goldspotted oak borer (GSOB) is established in San Diego County with additional outbreaks in Riverside and Orange counties. In less than 20 years, GSOB has killed nearly 100,000 black oaks in these counties. GSOB also kills coast live and canyon oaks. These oaks growing throughout the state are at risk to GSOB.

areas of California at risk to goldspotted oak borer

The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) carries a fungus. The beetle-disease complex has been found in areas of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties. The insect attacks more than 300 species of trees, shrubs, and vines; the fungus survives in more than 100 of these.

Trees attacked by PSHB include: 11 species native to southern California; 13 agriculturally important trees, such as avocado; and 53 species that, cumulatively, constitute more than half of all trees planted in urban areas of southern California. While PSHB might not be able to reproduce in all these hosts, it is known to reproduce in five types of maples, five types of oaks, a couple of willows, as well as a poplar, a sycamore, and an alder.

areas of southern California where polyphagous shot hole borer is established

Many of the vulnerable tree species are important components of riparian communities in southern California. PSHB apparently attacks only trees that receive enough water to support the fungus – hence the threat to riparian areas. Since PSHB comes from tropical Southeast Asia, its spread to the north and upslope would probably be limited by winter cold. Nevertheless, a wide variety of trees in large parts of the state appear to be at risk.

Among the natural areas at risk to one or both of these pests is Yosemite National Park. The oak trees growing in Yosemite Valley are black oaks, vulnerable to GSOB.

Both State & National Park Service have Failed to Act

Despite the threat to natural and even agricultural resources throughout the state, CDFA has not adopted regulations governing the movement of firewood – the pathway most likely to spread these pests. CDFA has funded outreach efforts, including flyers, posters at campgrounds, and highway billboards. Broad coalitions – made up of academics; county agriculture and parks officials; federal forestry and public lands staff; and others –are educating the public and firewood vendors about the risk and asking them not to move firewood. But when people ask whether there is a law against moving firewood, these volunteers must answer, “no”. This undermines their message!

Yosemite and the other National parks in the region also have not adopted regulations prohibiting visitors from bringing in firewood obtained outside the park. While the National Park Service discourages people from bringing firewood into the Park from farther than 50 miles away, this request is buried in the detailed description of camping regulations or here.

The other National parks in California also do not regulate visitors’ movement of firewood.

It is past time for state and federal agencies to accept their responsibility to protect priceless natural and agricultural resources by adopting regulations to control the movement of firewood.

Government Should Act Now! to Shut Wood Packaging Pathway

Revise Decade-Old Policies that Do Not Prevent Introductions

Despite regulations adopted 9 or more years ago, tree-killing insects continue to enter the U.S. in wood packaging. Aggressive enforcement is needed now to prevent further huge ecological and economic losses.

Disasters already introduced via this pathway

As Americans import more stuff, the risk rises that larvae of tree-killing insects will be enter the country hiding in wooden crates, pallets, etc. – called “solid wood packaging” or SWPM. For more information on this threat, the agencies responsible, and actions taken or proposed, visit here.

Damaging pests still found in SWPM

USDA APHIS (for more information about APHIS, read “Invasives 101” at www.cisp.us) required treatment of wood packaging from China 15 years ago, and treatment of wood packaging from other trade partners 9 years ago! Yet, a small proportion of incoming wood packaging still carries tree-killing pests. As many as 13,000 shipping containers harboring tree-killing pests probably enter the country each year – or 35 each day. [i] The Asian longhorned (illustrated below) is among the pests still detected in wood packaging from China. [ii]

Cities that import the most goods from Asia are at particular risk – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Others are also at risk: Washington, D.C.; Virginia Beach; Jacksonville. [To see a more complete list, visit here]

What the Government Has Done

While USDA APHIS has cracked down on U.S. producers of wood packaging who cheat and is promoting workshops to educate our trade partners on wood packaging treatment requirements (see write-up on www.CISP.us referenced above), the government should do more to protect our forests.

What More Can be Done

At present, U.S. policy allows an importer to be caught 5 times in 1 year with wood packaging that does not comply with the regulatory requirements. Requirements adopted a decade or more ago should be enforced strictly! The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and USDA APHIS should instead penalize all importers whose wood packaging does not comply with regulatory requirements.
The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection should incorporate the wood packaging requirements into its “Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism” (C-TPAT) program .
USDA APHIS should re-examine the economic pros and cons of requiring importers to switch to packaging made from materials other than wooden boards. The new review should incorporate the high economic and ecological costs imposed by insects introduced via the wood packaging pathway.
The President’s Office of Management and Budget should allow APHIS to finalize regulations – proposed in 5 years ago! – that would apply the same treatment requirements to wood packaging used in trade between the US and Canada. (Canada has been ready to adopt this measure for several years.)

[i] Haack RA, Britton KO, Brockerhoff EG, Cavey JF, Garrett LJ, et al. (2014) Effectiveness of the International Phytosanitary Standard ISPM No. 15 on Reducing Wood Borer Infestation Rates in Wood Packaging Material Entering the United States. PLoS ONE 9(5): e96611. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0096611

[ii] Haack, R.A., F. Herard, J. Sun, J.J. Turgeon. 2009. Managing Invasive Populations of Asian Longhorned Beetleand Citrus Longhorned Beetle: A Worldwide Perspective. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2010. 55:521-46; these authors report six separate introductions; after the article was published, a seventh was detected in Clermont County, Ohio; and a new outbreak was detected near Toronto, Ontario. Also, Philip Berger, Executive Director PPQ Science and Technology, Presentation to the Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases, November 3, 2014