March has been a busy month for the Forest Watch Australia program as we celebrated International Day of Forests, National Eucalypt Day, and delivered a presentation on the program as part of the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Webinar series.

The Forest Watch Australia program was established in 2022 and is a strong example of industry, governments and community groups working together to enhance Australia’s biosecurity system and protect Australia’s forests.

Over its first three years of operation, the national post-border surveillance program has generated almost 120,000 surveillance records, supported the deployment of 540 insect traps and inspection of 16,000 trees for signs of exotic pests and diseases across all states and the Northern Territory.

The program delivers coordinated, risk-based surveillance to enable early detection of exotic forest pests and increase the likelihood of eradication or containment before major impacts occur. The program also supports biosecurity capacity building through annual stakeholder training workshops and professional development in surveillance and diagnostics for operational staff.

Together, these activities are strengthening community engagement, improving expert capabilities, expanding baseline knowledge of tree health, and increasing the likelihood of early pest detection.

Forest Watch Australia is coordinated by Plant Health Australia and supported by the Australian Forest Products Association, all state and the Northern Territory governments, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Invasive Species Council, Natural Resource Management Regions Australia, and Forest and Wood Products Australia

Visit the Forest Watch Australia website to learn more about the program.