Forest Watch Australia is overseeing a nationwide biosecurity initiative. The 2025 TREEmendous Blitz is about to kick off.
The drive kicked off in late March 2025 and runs through to April 212, 2025, as a nod to the International Day of Forests.
The idea is for everyone to assess the health of their trees and report any problems, helping to create a snapshot of the pests present in Australia’s forests and promote early reporting of potential forest pest threats.
Australia has around 134 million hectares of forests and woodlands. Urban trees are currently free from many significant exotic pests which cause problems internationally, but some of those exotic pests and pathogens could be devestating for Australia’s trees if they aren’t detected early.
Participating
There are a very few simple steps to getting involved:
* Register for TREEmendous Blitz
* Download the MyPestGuide® Trees app for iOS, Android or use the web-based version
* Choose a tree in your backyard, a nearby park, or a forest
* Inspect the tree: look for signs of pests or diseases on the leaves, trunk, and new shoots
* Report your findings: use the MyPestGuide® Trees app to identify and report any pests you find. The app will guide you through the process to upload photos and to provide details about the location and condition of the tree.
The Forest Watch Australia program supports surveillance and training activities to enable the early detection of exotic pests that pose significant risks to our urban, natural and commercial forests.
Forest Watch Australia is coordinated by Plant Health Australia (PHA) and is a collaborative program proudly supported by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, NRM Regions Australia, the Invasive Species Council, and the Forest Sector.
For more information, please contact the Forest Watch team at forest_admin@phau.com.au.