1. The theme of this year's meeting was "Forest Health Monitoring." The group was welcomed to the Pacific Southwest Region by John Kliejunas of the Forest Pest Manaent Staff in San Francisco. Study Group Chair Ann Bartuska also welcomed the group to the United States, the host country.

2. The first panel discussion was on Forest Health Monitoring. Ruben Gutierrez Rodriguez provided the summary for Mexico, Peter Hall for Canada, and Rob Mangold for the United States. Each speaker addressed monitoring design, application of the Santiago Criteria and Indicators, how insects and diseases are considered, what monitoring has revealed thus far, and how the results are reported. A detailed report from each country is in the proceedings of the meeting. Following the formal presentations, Chair Ann Bartuska led a discussion to summarize the progress in each country.

3. A general summary is as follows for each of the countries. "N" indicates that a national program is in place; "R" indicates that a regional or local program is in place, and "N/A" indicates that a program does not exist at this time.

	Canada	United States	Mexico
Insect and disease surveys
· ground surveys · aerial surveys	R N	R N	R R
Forest Health Monitoring * grid surveys	N/A	N	N/A
Air pollution
· ozone · sulfur · nitrate	N N N	N N N	R R R
Trend analysis	N	N & R	R
Sustainable Forest Management - Criteria and Indicators (Montreal Process)	N	N	N

4. The consensus of the Study Group was that a unified monitoring system needs to be supported by all three countries. The discussion concluded that the Study Group should consider how Forest Health Monitoring results should be incorporated into setting future priorities for North America within the North American Forest Commission, and that a map of North America depicting forest heal the conditions would be beneficial. It was agreed that the Insect and Disease Study Group would work with the Air Pollution Study Group on forest health monitoring issues.

5. A second panel of discussions focused on highlights of country activities. Formal presentations were made by Ruben Guttierrez Rodriquez, Mexico; Ben Moody and Marcel Dawson, Canada; and Vic Mastro, Tom Hofacker and Sheila Andrus, United States. Detailed reports from each country are available in the proceedings of the meeting. In general, insect and disease conditions remained about the same as was reported in 1997, with some exceptions.

6. Of primary concern in 1998 were:

• the Asian long-horned beetle in the United States, having been located in New York and Chicago,
• pitch canker in the United States,
• the European gypsy moth on Vancouver Island, BC, and Utah, and
• forest decline in Mexico affecting the habitat of monarch butterflies.

7. All three countries have intensified port inspections in an attempt to intercept non-native invasive species but more inspections are needed.

8. Leslie Cree, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, provided an overview on the risk assessment of pitch canker which was initiated by the Insect and Disease Study Group at the 1997 meeting. A copy of the complete risk assessment is in the proceedings of the meeting. Leslie discussed the purpose of risk assessments in general, identification of the goals of the pitch canker assessment, and a detailed summary of the project.

9. The summary of the risk assessment concluded the following: there is potential spread of pitch canker northward on the west coast from existing infestations, perhaps as far as Vancouver Island; limited inland spread; the infection in Monterey pine is extreme, with bishop and shore pine potentially seriously impacted; and other host conifers appear not to be seriously affected.

10. Chair Ann Bartuska commended Leslie, and the other contributors, for the preparation of the risk assessment for this serious threat to North America. It was agreed that the risk assessment should be published.

11. Vic Mastro, APHIS, and Sheila Andrus, Forest Service, provided an overview on the status of surveys, eradication efforts and research needs on the Asian long-horned beetle in the United States. To date, two separate infestations have been located. In 1997, an infestation was identified and treated in New York (in two separate locations) and in 1998, and infestation was identified in Chicago and will be treated in the fall. Joe Cavey, APHIS, provided an overview of the new interim regulation requiring the treatment of wood packing and crating material on imports from China that take effect in December 1998.

12. Canada plans to implement a similar regulation in 1999. Tom Hofacker, Forest Service, provided an overview of the status of gypsy moth in the United States. Based on the results of the 1998 trapping efforts, it appears that gypsy moth activity will increase in 1999. Significant increases are anticipated in Wisconsin and Illinois.

13. Nancy Lorimer, formerly of the Forest Health Protection Staff but now the Assistant Director of the North Central Experiment Station, provided an overview of the Exotic Pest List Project. This project was formally supported by the Insect and Disease Study Group in 1996. In 1997, a plan of work was established and a core team of representatives from all three countries was established. There was a change in the name of the Exotic Pest List to Exotic Forest Pest Information System. The system is near completion and ready for data input. The plan of work is on schedule. Nancy Lorimer, because of her new position, has turned the project leadership over to Joe O'Brien of the Forest Health Protection Staff in St. Paul, Minnesota. The core team for the project met at the conclusion of the Insect and Disease Study Group meeting.

14. In the final panel presentation, Marcel Dawson provided an overview on the standards being developed for NAPPO on wood dunnage for packing materials. NAPPO hopes to have the standards finalized in 1999. The Insect and Disease Study Group has been instrumental in providing technical support to NAPPO in development of the standards.

• Provided technical assistance to Mexico in aerial surveys.
• Substantial progress was made on the new publication on Forest Pathology in Mexico as reported by John Kliejunas who was reporting for David Cibrian of Mexico. This publication was sponsored by the Insect and Disease Study Group in 1996. The planning for completion of this publication is done. Authors for all the chapters in the book from all three countries have been identified. Line drawings are almost completed. It is anticipated that the book will be sent to the printer in two years.
• Brian Geils reported on the progress on the publication supported by the Insect and Disease Study Group in 1988 on Dwarf Mistletoe of American Conifers. The book will go to press in 1999.
• A risk assessment was prepared by a team from all three countries on Radiata pine log imports from Mexico.
• Technical assistance was provided by the United States to Mexico in forest declines. Mexico currently has an individual at Clemson University obtaining training.

15. As a break from the panel discussions, a field excursion to the Placerville Nursery (including the Central Zone Tree Improvement Center and the National Forest Genetics Laboratory), the University of California's Blodgett Experimental Forest and the Eldorado National Forest. The focus of the field trip was forest health monitoring, efforts in tree improvement and genetics for disease resistance, especially rust resistance in sugar pine, silvicultural activities to improve forest health, herbicide-use for plantation maintenance and the difficulties of wildland urban interface in protecting forest health.

16. For the final segment of the meeting, discussions focused on topics of common concern and proposed actions. The first issue was the current Charter of the Insect and Disease Study Group. After much discussion, it was agreed that a committee from within the group would be appointed to evaluate the adequacy of the current charter. From the group discussion, the following Plan of Work and Resolutions were developed.

• The Chair of the Insect and Disease Study Group will coordinate activities with the Chairs of the Fire and Air Pollution Study Groups.
• Promote plans to develop consistent standards for Forest Health Monitoring in all three countries, including support for the establishment of a NAFC Inventory and Monitoring Study Group.
• Establish a subcommittee on early detection of newly introduced/established non-native invasive species before they become well established.
• Review the availability of the Study Groups charter in Spanish and French, and provide translation if necessary.
• Provide written request to NAPPO to make the Forestry Panel permanent.
• Identify Study Group members to serve on a working group to evaluate the Study Group's charter.
• Provide NAPPO with comments on the draft dunnage standards.
• Continue support for the publication Dwarf Mistletoe in North America and arrange for financial support.
• Identify financial support for the publication Forest Pathology in Mexico.
• Respond to Mexico's formal request for technical assistance in aerial mapping, forest decline technical assistance, and the health of monarch butterfly habitat once the request is received.
• The Study Group Chair will attend the NAFC meeting in Mexico in November 1998.

• Express appreciation to the NAPPO Forest Panel for the development of the draft standard on dunnage.
• Express serious concern over infestations of Asian long-horned beetle in New York and Illinois and urge rapid eradication. Recognize that it is a threat to all of North America. Request that NAFC express their formal concern to this threat.
• Express concern about the continued spread of the European gypsy moth in the Eastern United States, the infestations on Vancouver Island, B.C., and in Utah.
• Express concern about the decline in entomology and pathology research and systematics capability in all three countries. It is diminishing our ability to respond to emerging issues.

17. Chair Ann Bartuska closed the 1998 Insect and Disease Study Group meeting. Next year's meeting will be hosted by Mexico in October 1999. The theme for next year's meeting will be "Forest Health Risk Analysis."

Participants:

Ruben Gutierrez Rodriguez, SEMARNAP Forest Division, Mexico

Leslie Cree, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada

J.L. Marcel Dawson, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada

Peter Hall, Canadian Forest Service, Canada

Richard Hunt, Canadian Forest Service, Canada

Ben Moody, Canadian Forest Service, Canada

Doreen Watler, Canadian Food Inspection Service, Canada

Sheila Andrus, Forest Service, United States

Ann Bartuska, Forest Service, United States

Joe Cavey, APHIS, United States

Paul Dunn, Forest Service, United States

Brian Geils, Forest Service, United States

Tom Hofacker, Forest Service, United States

Ed Imai, APHIS, United States

John Kliejunas, Forest Service, United States

Nancy Lorimer, Forest Service, United States

Victor Mastro, APHIS, United States

Rob Mangold, Forest Service, United States

Joe O'Brien, Forest Service, United States

Judy Pasek, APHIS, United States

Safiya Samman, Forest Service, United States

Dave Thomas, Forest Service, United States