The maintenance of a national network of bait logs and pheromone traps at 52 observation points countrywide

Description

Ireland’s forests are among the healthiest in Europe with relatively few serious forest pests and diseases. This is mainly due to our island status, the relative newness of the national forest estate and the enforcement of plant health regulations. European regulations lay down detailed rules for surveys to be carried out for the recognition of protected zones in the European Union (EU). In the context of the internal market, Ireland has been granted a special protected zone status with regard to 14 harmful forest pests and diseases. A protected zone is essentially an area in the EU where a pest of quarantine significance, which is established in other parts of the EU, is not present despite favourable conditions for it to establish. Of the 14 harmful forest pests and diseases for which Ireland has protected zone status, 11 are harmful forest insects - 6 of which are bark beetle species namely, Dendroctonus micans, Ips amitinus, Ips cembrae, Ips dublicatus, Ips sexdentatus and Ips typographus. Currently, there is a network of observation points in place following a systematic grid covering the entire protected zone area to survey for harmful pests and diseases. The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine (the Department), is required to carry out annual surveys at these observation points for harmful forest pests and diseases and to submit annual reports to the European Commission. The maintenance of a national network of observation points as described in the tender document is of key strategic importance in supporting Ireland’s protected zone status.