Reducing Introductions 



Experts have suggested the fol- 

 lowing measures to slow introduc- 

 tions and prevent establishment of 

 exotic pests. 



• Evaluate the potential for intro- 

 ducing harmful pests with im- 

 ports. 



• Increase inspection and quaran- 

 tine efforts, especially as trans- 

 porting and shipping technology 

 changes. 



• Beware of accidentally introduc- 

 ing new plant species into forest 

 ecosystems. 



• Maintain detection programs so 

 populations can be eradicated 

 while they are still small and lo- 

 calized. 



• Promote self-sufficiency in wood 

 products so raw or unprocessed 

 products do not need to be imported 



Air pollution is created in and around Portland, Oregon. The effects on 

 vegetation are both short and long range because pollutants are 

 carried from the city to nearby forests by wind and fog. 



Control and Eradication 



A pest becomes established once it is able 

 to reproduce and maintain a population that 

 survives from year to year. For exotic pests 

 already established in Pacific Northwest for- 

 ests, management strategies already in place 

 are minimizing their effects: natural enemies 

 such as predators and parasites are being re- 

 leased to control populations of some exotic 

 pests; resistance breeding programs are in 

 place for white pine blister rust and Port- 

 Orford-cedar root disease; and appropriate sil- 

 viculture and pest management practices are 

 applied in many areas to minimize exposure 

 and spread. Unlike white pine blister rust or 

 Port-Orford-cedar root disease, the European 

 and Asian gypsy moths are not yet "estab- 

 lished" in the Pacific Northwest. The moth 

 populations are still too low to breed effectively 

 and establish permanent populations. Eradi- 

 cation efforts, such as pesticide treatments, are 

 the most practical and effective at this 

 preestablishment stage. In 1996, ten urban 

 areas in the Northwest were treated for gypsy 

 moth to prevent their establishment. 



EFFECTS OF AIR QUALITY 



Air pollution alters the chemical environment 

 in which plants grow and affects the health of 

 the forest. 



The population in Oregon and Washington 

 is projected to increase into the future, and 

 with more people come more cars and other 

 services that cause air pollution. Washington 

 Environment 2010, a recent study by the State 

 of Washington and the Environmental Protec- 

 tion Agency, projects that over the next 15 

 years, concentrations of the pollutants of great- 

 est concern to natural resource managers — 

 sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, and 

 ozone — will not improve. In fact, ozone is ex- 

 pected to increase by 30% in the Puget Sound 

 area unless additional actions are taken. 



Air-quality work in Oregon and Washington 

 forests has focused on the effects of ozone on 

 vegetation, using lichens as air-quality 

 bioindicators, evaluating the sensitivity of al- 

 pine lakes to acid deposition, and determin- 

 ing the acidity of cloud water. 



Ozone 



Ozone is formed on warm sunny days from 

 hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxide emitted by 

 cars and trucks. Unlike stratospheric ozone. 



Overview — 19 



