Forest Pest Management (FPM) Research Consortium

The FPM Research consortium is a cooperative effort towards integrated practices for economic control of pests by research units, forest growers, control agent providers and policy regulators across Australia established in 2018. Together, we strive to maintain ecosystem health and the productive capacity of forestry plantations by finding and taking appropriate measures to lessen the impact of weeds and pests. The FPM Research Consortium germinated from the success of the Forest Industry Herbicide Research Consortium and expanded its objective to deliver a collaborative and pro-active approach to improve:

• surveillance programs of pests, pathogens and weeds, and the capacity for their control and management through professionally trained staff and workers in a coordinated response framed by sustainable forest management practices;
• compliance with relevant weed or pest legislation and providing expert advice to the APVMA and State Chemical Regulators; and
• protection of the integrity of adjacent land uses and its users through the development of advanced application technologies to reduce spray drift and human exposure.

FPM Research Consortium Outcomes

As part of the multi-stakeholder collaboration around integrated pest management, the consortium members benefit from:

• the continued availability of effective, chemical control agents and alternatives to mitigate undesirable forest pests through specific research efforts;
• reduced cost and time in the appraisal and registration of new and existing control products;
• enhanced control agent efficacy and associated environmental and human safety performance through the use of best practice guidelines and new application and detection technology;
• front line input provided into policy, regulatory reforms, and various certification schemes; and
• customised screening and operational trial design and application of control agents and technology based on specific or global industry needs.

FPM Research Consortium Members

The Forest Research Institute at USC acts as the FPM Research Consortium's coordinator, secretariat to the steering committee, and is the contract manager for agreements with Forests & Wood Products Australia and the following members:

• Australian Bluegum Plantations
• Forest Products Commission
• Forestry Corporation of NSW
• Forico
• Green Triangle Forest Products
• HQPlantations
• HVP Plantations
• Midway Limited
• OneFortyOne Plantations
• PF Olsen Australia
• Sustainable Timber Tasmania
• WA Plantation Resources

Contact

Research Fellow - FPM Research Consortium

Dr Sam Van Holsbeeck

Forest Research Institute

M: +61 418 699 987

Email: svanhols@usc.edu.au