HOlistic Management of Emerging forest pests and Diseases

Project Information

HOMED

Grant agreement ID: 771271

DOI

10.3030/771271

Project closed

EC signature date 27 April 2018

Start date 1 October 2018

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 5 754 828,75

EU contribution

€ 4 999 296,25

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
France

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HOMED (HOlistic Management of Emerging forest pests and Diseases)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Due to the continuous increase in international trade and climate change, forests are exposed to unprecedented threats from non-native insect pests and fungal pathogens. In Europe, their numbers continue to increase dramatically. Currently, the greatest damage to European forests is often caused by these invasive non-native organisms with economic losses of hundreds of millions of euros. Climate change also favours the emergence of previously innocuous native forest pests and pathogens. Whether exotic or native, forest pests and pathogens limit tree growth and cause tree mortality, which has a profound impact on the integrity of forest ecosystems and their ability to provide services and products for the bioeconomy.
The overall objective of HOMED was to deliver a comprehensive set of innovative and science-based practical tools to improve detection and control of emerging or invasive pests and pathogens that threaten EU forests, following a holistic and multi-actor approach. Holistic because we aimed to improve risk assessment and management strategies by targeting the successive phases of invasion (transport, introduction, establishment, and spread), and by developing mitigation methods for each phase of invasion, i.e. tools for prevention, detection and diagnosis, surveillance, eradication and control. Multi-actor because scientists communicated with stakeholders throughout the project to learn about their needs and constraints and validate tools as they were developed. Innovation was central, as new pest control tools must benefit from advanced technologies. It is difficult to predict the next invasive pests, so the approach was generic, allowing for application to a wide array of pest and pathogen species.
To achieve these goals, HOMED brought together leading experts from 23 partner organisations representing 15 countries in Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Starting with the preparation and prevention actions before the arrival of invasive species, the project implemented the concept of sentinel plantations. We planted European tree species in commodities-exporting countries (China, South Africa, and United States) in order to detect at an early stage the potentially harmful pest and pathogen species originating from these regions. Models were developed to predict the most at-risk areas in Europe for the arrival and establishment of invasive alien species, revealing the preeminent importance of urban areas in the most populated regions.
To quickly detect the arrival of insect pests in Europe, two types of traps were been developed: lightweight sticky traps to be placed in containers during transport, and traps combining multiple attractive compounds for wood beetles, to be installed in ports or airports and nearby forests. The use of spore traps to identify fungal pathogens in risk areas was also tested. New smartphone apps to trace the presence of invasive or emerging forest pests and pathogens were also developed and shared with citizens. Innovative early detection tools, for both lab and field tests, were developed for forest pests and pathogens, based on biochemical and DNA analyses combined with bioinformatic pipelines.
Once detected, invasive species can be targeted for eradication. Reviews of the scientific literature were conducted to identify methods to increase the success of eradication programs. Integrated pest eradication strategies combining several monitoring and control methods were tested by simulation and evaluated in terms of cost effectiveness.
If eradication fails, the spread of pest or disease outbreaks should be monitored and attempts should be made to contain them. More accurate models were developed to predict the spread of exotic pests and pathogens across Europe. The use of allergenic pollen monitoring networks was validated as a method for trapping fungal spores and thus monitoring the spread of fungal diseases. The combination of images acquired with drones or satellites and their interpretation with deep learning algorithms has demonstrated its effectiveness in delimiting infestations and outbreaks of forest pests.
The predictors of the success or failure of classical biological control programs, using the introduction of natural enemies of the same origin as the exotic pests, were deciphered. Several potential biological control agents for important exotic forest pests were reared in quarantine facilities. This approach was validated and extended to the control of exotic fungal pathogens, including the use of mycoviruses. The relevance of conservation biological control, based on the enhancement of native natural enemies, was confirmed by a meta-analysis revealing the highest diversity of biocontrol agents in mixed species forests. Empirical studies subsequently confirmed that mixed forests are on average more resistant to exotic insects than tree monocultures. More heterogeneous forest landscapes are also better at slowing down the spread of epidemics.
These project results were shared regularly with stakeholders through the website, newsletters, and social media. A knowledge hub was designed to make interactive tools, fact sheets and policy briefs available to end-users via a web interface. A total of 80 scientific publications in international peer reviewed journals (open access), 17 practice abstracts, 4 educational videos and 6 policy briefs have already been produced by the project

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The new knowledge generated by HOMED and the conducted literature reviews have contributed to a better understanding of the drivers of pest and disease emergence and invasion in European forests, highlighting the major roles of international trade, and of forest distribution and diversity, before that of climate change.
The results of the project will greatly improve the management of invasive pests and pathogens in EU forests. Practical recommendations have been provided to maximize the success of exotic species eradication programs and reduce their costs. Biological control methods were particularly targeted and concrete proposals were made to improve the risk-benefit analysis of introducing natural enemies from the native region of exotic pests, to increase the species diversity of forests in order to favour native natural enemies, to better identify natural enemies of pathogenic fungi, and to increase the accuracy of treatments with bio-based products. The project led to the development of new, more reliable and efficient tools for the detection and diagnosis of tree pests and diseases, with predictive models, innovative trapping systems and molecular methods for field diagnosis.
The application of these new tools should allow a reduction of the economic losses of the European forestry sector caused by damage from exotic pests and pathogens. In the longer term, the results of the project will help the forestry sector to remain productive and continue contributing to the European economy and to the well-being of its populations by allowing increased awareness and more efficient prevention and control. The project has indeed mobilized stakeholders by developing participatory tools for citizens, practical applications and recommendations for managers and by publishing policy briefs to improve European public policies on forest health.

Figure 2. Mixed forests are generally less vulnerable to insect attacks than pure forests because th

Figure 3. Repeated releases of natural enemies are proving to be a relevant approach to increase the

Figure 1. Networks of pollen traps for allergy alert can be used to detect pathogenic fungal spores