25 September 2001

VANCOUVER, BC - Following an independent review of research conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MAF) the New Zealand Government has brought in an international team of Global Forest scientists to discover the secrets of the Painted Apple Moth. This Australian moth species was first spotted in Auckland in 1999 and poses a serious threat to New Zealand's multi-billion dollar forest industry.

Dr. John Clearwater of Clearwater Consulting, New Zealand; Dr. Gerhard Gries of Simon Fraser University, Canada; and Dr. Paul Schaefer of the United States Department of Agriculture will identify and isolate the moth's sexual attractants. These pheromones will be used in lures designed to detect the presence of the Painted Apple Moth, allowing targeted measures to be undertaken to eradicate this pest.

The team already has a distinguished reputation in New Zealand. In 1997, they successfully developed the pheromone of the White Spotted Tussock Moth, another invasive forest defoliator. Their research allowed spraying teams to pinpoint tiny enclaves of the destructive insects, through the use of highly effective lures. These lures minimized the exposure of the local human population to toxic pesticides, and ultimately confirmed the operation's success.

This project comes just in time for the opening of the Global Forest International Insect Quarantine Laboratory at Simon Fraser University. This facility has been set up to study insects that threaten forests both in British Columbia and around the world.

"Understanding the basic biology of these insects is critical," says Dr. Reese Halter, Founder of Global Forest. "As the world shrinks under global trade, we must be on guard to defend our forests from predators for which they have never evolved a defense. Drs. Gries, Clearwater and Schaefer have proven time and time again that they have what it takes to get the job done."

Rancho Mirage and Banff-based Global Forest Science (www.globalforestscience.org) is a forest biology research institute. With an international multi-disciplinary team of 140 scientists, Global Forest Science is a world leader in forest science research and has often been likened to the Red Adair's of the forest biology world. Global Forest Sciences' many victories ranging from legislation to protect the threatened westslope cutthroat trout of British Columbia, protection of the world's largest ant colony, opening an international insect quarantine facility and helping to save New Zealand's multi billion dollar forestry and agriculture industries from the Australian painted apple moth. Global Forest Science is also dedicated to children's ecological education - visit GFAwesome.
(www.gfawesome.org)

For more information, please contact:
Email: info@globalforestscience.org
Phone: 760.770.1165