An analysis of health risk reduction in Chilean primary forest products for export

Abstract

Log yards in forests, storage of raw material in manufacturing plants, and facilities in ports are three points of phytosanitary risk in the production of lumber and logs of Pinus radiata for export, especially in small and medium-sized companies. The main damaging agents are bluestain fungus, Ceratocystis pilifera , and the introduced bark beetles, Hylurgus ligniperda and Hylastes ater (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), all of them quarantine species in the US, the main destination for Chilean wood products. We have determined that C. pilifera occurs in logs of P. radiata even in the absence of bark beetles. The insects transport spores, even in primitive micangia, contributing to their spread. Better training in phytosanitary procedures is suggested for the agents involved in the processing of logs and lumber.