DIEBACK

Phytophthora dieback is a devastating plant disease which affects native plants, horticultural crops and garden plants worldwide. The introduction of the disease into Australia and particularly South West Western Australia during the 1920s is a biological disaster of global significance.

The first noted impact attributed to the disease was observed in 1921 within jarrah forests located at Karragullen, where increased patches of healthy jarrah forest were dying.

It was not until 1964 that Frank Podger and George Zentmyer established that Phytophthora cinnamomi was the agent responsible for the deaths of healthy trees inside the jarrah forest.

According to the Dieback Consultative Council, over 40 percent (2,300) of native plant species and half of the endangered plant species in the south-west of WA are susceptible. They also estimate that Phytophthora dieback will cost the Australian economy at least $1.6 billion over the next 10 years.

Given the environmental and economic costs of Phytophthora dieback, the Forest Products Commission places great importance on our role ensuring our forests are continually protected from this threat.

Protecting our forests

In order to protect our forests and prevent further spread of Phytophthora dieback, FPC follows management guidelines set down by the state’s environmental regulator, the Department for Environment and Conservation (DEC).

Various controls, protocols, strategies and management plans are in place, so when our people and contractors enter areas affected by the disease we are doing our utmost to stop the disease from spreading outside the affected area.

One of the key strategies to prevent its spread is the strict use of hygiene procedures. These include ensuring harvesting machinery and vehicles, and even the footwear of people working in the area are fully decontaminated at designated wash down stations.

How you can help

Human activity causes the most significant, rapid and widespread distribution of this pathogen. Any activity that transfers soil and plant material from one site to another has the potential to spread the disease.

Some things you can do to prevent the spread of dieback include:

• making sure shoes, tyres and equipment are clean of dirt before and after visiting a dieback-infested or unknown forest,
• cleaning shoes and any other equipment that comes into contact with soil after every visit, especially if moving between bush areas,
• keeping to defined park tracks at all times. Any movement of soil around the roots of a tree has the potential to spread the disease, and
• if entering an area affected by dieback with an animal such as a dog, keep them under control at all times. Animals can inadvertently spread the disease if they disturb the soil around the trees.

For more information on Dieback, visit the Department for Environment and Conservation's Dieback website.