During last spring’s report card season, a little known government program received its grades. The program is aimed at defending our nation against the imported insects and diseases that harm trees, forests, and local economies.
Insect stowaways are increasing exponentially with the rise in consumer goods arriving from overseas. Many of the exotic pests ravaging our forests got a free ride by burrowing deep into the wooden pallets used to carry everything from computers to clothing on ships and airplanes.
That’s why we have a national insect defense system that requires all wooden pallets to be treated with heat or chemicals before being loaded with cargo.
The policy got a report card, in a new study out of McGill University. Researchers found that treating pallets cut the number of insects hitching a ride by more than half, earning a grade of 52 %. Far from full marks – but the number isn’t the whole story.
Even with that imperfect score, the protocol has accomplished a lot. At this level of protection – by 2050 the policy will have blocked the introduction of more exotic pests than currently exist in the United States.
Of course treating pallets isn’t free, so the cost of the program was also evaluated. And the policy gets high marks for return on investment. The United States can expect a net savings of $11 billion by 2050, and those who will benefit most are homeowners and municipal governments.
At 52 % protection, the policy has room for improvement. Even so, our forests, trees, and local communities receive substantial ecological and economic benefits from this insect defense protocol.
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Photo, posted October 8, 2006, courtesy of Derell Licht via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, with script contribution from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.