Challenges associated with the surveillance of exotic fungal and oomycete pathogens of forest trees under the European quarantine regulation

Key message

Despite the strong legal framework provided by the European Union (EU) Plant Health Regulation, its implementation by Member States remains constrained by gaps in biological and epidemiological knowledge, as well as by insufficient information for the reliable diagnosis of several quarantine pathogens. By outlining these challenges, we identify scientific needs and promising avenues for improvement, providing guidance to strengthen early detection, risk-based surveillance, and diagnostic reliability across the EU.

Publication

Aguayo, J., Gómez-Gallego, M., Husson, C. et al. Challenges associated with the surveillance of exotic fungal and oomycete pathogens of forest trees under the European quarantine regulation. Annals of Forest Science 83, 30 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-026-01348-4

Handling editor
Stéphane Uroz

Topical collection
This article is part of the Topical Collection “ARBRE: Documenting rapid changes occurring in forest socio-ecosystems” https://link.springer.com/collections/bbbfeidfbc