Many bark and ambrosia beetle species (Coleoptera: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) are known to have spread worldwide in relation to international trade. Concerns have been expressed within the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) about recent introductions of non-indigenous species of these groups. Regulation of the non-coniferous wood trade into many EPPO member countries is currently not sufficient to cover such risks. In 2018-2019, an EPPO study on the risk of bark and ambrosia beetles associated with imported non-coniferous wood was carried out, and the key characteristics contributing to the pest risk from introduced species were determined using expert consensus. This paper summarizes the key findings of the study, which are available in full detail on the EPPO website. The study identified biological and other risk factors and illustrated them with examples from 26 beetle species or groups of species known to be invasive or posing a threat to plant health. These representative species were classified into three categories based on known damage and level of uncertainty. In the present article, factorial discriminant analyses were used to identify features of bark and ambrosia beetle biology associated with damage caused and invasiveness. Based on the information assembled and consideration of the risk factors, it was recommended that in order to prevent the introduction of new bark and ambrosia beetles via non-coniferous wood commodities, horizontal phytosanitary measures should be adopted, irrespective of the host plant species and the origin (i.e., for all genera of non-coniferous woody plants and from all origins). Phytosanitary measures are presented here for various wood commodities.

Sentinel plants, plants in exporting countries that are inspected at regular intervals for signs and symptoms of invertebrate pests and microbial pathogens, are a promising tool for detecting and identifying harmful organisms of woody plants prior to their introduction into importing countries. Monitoring of sentinel plants reveals crucial information for pest risk analyses and the development of mitigation measures. The establishment of sentinel plants requires the import and plantation of non-native plants, which may be affected by the laws, regulations and administrative procedures in the individual countries. To evaluate the feasibility of sentinel plants as a global approach, this study aimed to summarise regulations and administrative procedures that affect the establishment of sentinel plants using non-native plants in countries worldwide. Information about national regulations of import and planting of non-native plant species was collected through a questionnaire survey, conducted among national representatives to the International Plant Protection Convention. Over 40 countries responded. The results show that legislations and regulations should not be major obstacles for a global use of the sentinel plants approach. However, the few existing experiences show that it can be complicated in practice. Here we describe the current state of art of the procedures that should be adopted to establish sentinel plants and we propose a strategy to circumvent the shortcomings resulting from the lack of a specific regulation.

The EPPO Project on Quarantine Pests for Forestry ran from 2000 to 2005. It mainly focused on the risks from forests pests present in the former USSR, particularly in its Asian part, with regard to their possible impacts on the non-Asian parts of the EPPO region. A special EPPO Panel, called the Panel on Quarantine Pests for Forestry, was created to implement this project. The EPPO Secretariat collected short information on the taxonomy, geographical distribution, host plants, biology and impact of 1365 pests and on the taxonomy and geographical distribution of 653 main forest trees on the territory of the former USSR. In the process of prioritization, which took place over 10 meetings in various countries in the EPPO region, the Panel selected species that were more likely to present high risk for the non-Asian part of the EPPO region. For these species, more detailed data were collected and datasheets were prepared. The Panel performed Pest Risk Analysis for 45 species of pests and recommended 19 of them for inclusion into the EPPO lists of pests recommended for regulation. Possible phytosanitary measures have been selected in the process of Pest Risk Management to reduce the risk of introduction of these 19 pests into endangered areas. The Panel has begun preparing Commodity standards for wood and woody plants.

EPPO started work on biological control agents (BCAs) in 1996, and the joint EPPO/IOBC Panel was established in 1997. The history of the Panel is provided and EPPO Standards developed by the Panel are described. These Standards are: PM 6/1 ‘First import of exotic biological control agents for research under contained conditions’, PM 6/2 ‘Import and release of non‐indigenous biological control agents’ and PM 6/3 ‘List of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region’. The last of these has been annually updated as a ‘Positive List’ of BCAs for which EPPO recommends its member countries to use a simplified procedure for import and releases. EPPO activities in biological control have been focused on the safety aspects of the introduction of invertebrate BCAs. However, the scope of EPPO's work in this area is now under review, and a number of issues are being considered by the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. These include the remit of the Panel and Standards in relation to micro‐organisms, the evaluation of potential environmental benefits as well as potential risks from releases and the potential for use of BCAs against regulated pests and those recommended for regulation.

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