The Giant Pine Scale has arrived, and it poses an existential threat to our pine trees. It has recently been discovered that this pest has established itself in the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, especially in Hope Valley and Highbury. This invasive species has a voracious appetite, feeding closely on the sap of pine trees. Consequently, it leads to branch dieback and eventually kills the tree. There is growing alarm at the threat posed to South Australia’s $3 billion forestry industry. This concern comes from PAC sightings that have been documented at numerous spots including the Hope Valley Reservoir, Elliston Reserve, Silverlake Reserve and the aqueduct reserve in Highbury.
In 2023, mobile app developer Anthony Wills identified the Giant Pine Scale at a Holden Hill enterprise. This find calls attention to the disturbing pace of its spread. Authorities are still trying to contain a comparable outbreak in Melbourne. They’ve already cut down almost 1,400 trees to fight the pest. Now, dangerous outbreaks are breaking out at local reserves. To shield these in-turn forestry assets, we plan to cut down more trees this year.
The Impact of Giant Pine Scale
Giant Pine Scale’s ability to drink all of the sap from pine trees leads to catastrophic effects. This invasive pest is threatening the health of every single tree. It represents the greatest immediate threat to the whole forestry ecosystem in the infected states. The invasive pest is spreading like wildfire. If allowed to spread outside of its current range, South Australia would bear the brunt of the associated economic damages.
Vincent Tarzia, Member of Local Government, put the need for action on this matter in stark terms. He said it should be treated like other environmental emergencies in the state, like toxic algal blooms and droughts.
“If this were to spread to other forests … it could have serious economic consequences for the state.” – Vincent Tarzia
He admonished the government for its late response to the spread of the virus. He emphasized how this delay is an indicator of a larger, repetitive disregard for biosecurity threats.
“This is another situation where the government has been really slow to react in terms of dealing with this biosecurity issue.” – Vincent Tarzia
Government Response and Management Strategies
Invasive pests like the Giant Pine Scale have become a pressing threat, but local authorities are rising to meet that challenge. They are implementing management strategies to prevent its spread and mitigate its destruction. Clare Scriven, a government official, noted that efforts are focused on removing trees selectively to protect both the forestry industry and green spaces.
“To remove the number of trees that need to be removed to protect the forestry industry and to protect green space, but not any more trees than are absolutely necessary.” – Clare Scriven
There’s an effort to replace the impacted pine trees with native species that can more appropriately support local ecosystems and biodiversity.
“We’ve replaced these [pine trees] with natives, which is much better for our areas in so many different ways.” – Clare Scriven
Forestry SA’s Nathan Paine, speaking at Tech Savy’s forum October 2022 on the TPP, stressed danger posed by its transmission vectors and ability to move rapidly.
“There’s a million different vectors for transmission.” – Nathan Paine
That’s when he made a crucial observation, that once trees got infected they would die and continue to spread their infection.
“I think the Melbourne example of moving to management is a cautionary tale because once the tree is infected, it will die and will spread that infection elsewhere.” – Nathan Paine
Future Considerations for South Australia
That’s why authorities are doing everything they can to control the Giant Pine Scale. It’s important to monitor its spread really closely and be prepared to act swiftly. The threat of future outbreaks requires taking action to avoid the costly economic damage that a widespread invasion would cause.
In his submission Nathan Paine cautioned that failing to solve this problem now would lead to even higher government management costs in future.
“If we allow this to continue to spread, it doesn’t go away; the costs of management increase over time.” – Nathan Paine
In fact this year, even more trees are likely to be lost due to continuing outbreaks at key sites such as the Hope Valley Reservoir and Highbury Aqueduct Reserve. In reaction, the coalitions are calling for urgent changes.
