| | | Government Program on Gypsy Moth between USA and Russia Press ReleaseThe Russian Center for Forest Health, All-Russia Center of Plant Quarantine (ARCPQ), the United States Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the United States Forestry Service (USFS) agreed in 2007 to extend their cooperative program to control the spread of dangerous forest pests. The program was initiated in 1993, when trade between the United States and Russia began to increase, and the accidental introduction of pests became a concern. The original program was designed to determine the population levels and flight periodicity of three species of Lymantriids (L. monacha, L. dispar, and L. mathura), with particular focus on the Asian biotype of the gypsy moth. The program has been used as a model for other countries, including Japan and Korea.
These species are known forest defoliators and are present in the Russian Far East. The Asian Gypsy Moth is capable of spreading especially fast due the strong flight capability of the female moth, compared to the flightless trait of the female European Gypsy Moth. The larval stage of the moths feed on approximately 500 species of trees and shrubs, and pose a particular threat to American forests and fruit production enterprises. If the biological types of Lymantriids present in Russia establish themselves in the U.S., it is estimated that they could cause U.S. $3.5 billion dollars in damage. Eradication is costly, and typically has required a multi-million dollar effort when introductions were detected in the past.
The joint project is designed to develop and implement a monitoring system to reduce the risk of Lymantriid species from the Russian Far East to the United States and other participating countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Chile. The monitoring project examines the population level of the moths in Russian ports, and identifies periods of high risk for ship traffic. The Cooperative Agreement with ARCPQ also provides for a pre-departure ship inspection service to ensure that vessels bound for the U.S.A. are free of Lymantria life stages prior to leaving Russian Far Eastern ports. The program is collaboratively reviewed and updated annually to add science-based refinements to the monitoring process. The Russia collaboration is being used as a model for expansion to other countries where the moths pose a risk for international movement of the pests through maritime shipping pathways.
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