Development of Combined Risk-Mitigation Techniques for Constructing a Systems Approach in Managing Pest Risks Associated with Wood Commodity Export and Preventing Tree Pest Invasion in Japan

Nagano Prefectural Forestry Center, Gifu Prefectural Forestry Research Institute, Kagoshima Prefectural Forestry Technology Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kyoto University, Kagoshima University, Chugoku Mokuzai Co., Ltd., Okinawa Churashima Foundation

FY2024~2028
Strategic Research Program for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Commissioned Project Research) under the Technology Development and Demonstration Program for Realizing the MIDORI Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems (JPJ012712)

SHODA-KAGAYA, Etsuko

• When importing and exporting timber, methyl bromide fumigation, which has a high environmental impact, is still the prevailing method of wood treatment.
• The IPCC is advancing the transition to a systems approach, enabling reduced pesticide use during quarantine.
• This transition requires pest and disease risk assessments at each stage of production and export, and scientific evidence is crucial.
• Tree damage by non-native invasive pests is increasing, making the prevention of their entry an urgent priority.

By establishing a systems approach for the international movement of wood within our country and systematizing management techniques to prevent further invasions of non-native pests, we aim to mitigate the risk of pest movement between nations during wood trade.

• Establishing a systems approach to be applied during the export of timber by developing domestic pest monitoring methods and pest risk assessments for each stage—planting, afforestation, harvesting, and transportation.
• Verifying the effectiveness of heat treatment and alternative pesticides as substitutes for methyl bromide in quarantine measures during export.
• Analyzing the introduction pathways of non-native pests and systematizing management techniques to prevent their introduction during import.

Uemori, K., Konishi, T., Taki, H., & Shoda-Kagaya, E. (2026). Determination of lethal heat treatment parameters of Callidiellum rufipenne, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pests. Journal of Forest Research, 31(1), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/13416979.2025.2585583.