Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Salix caprea and Salix cinerea imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) bundles of 1‐ to 2‐year old cuttings/graftwood, (b) 1‐ to 7‐year‐old bare root plants, (c) 1‐ to 2‐year‐old cell grown plants and (d) 2‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots, taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodities were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this opinion. Two EU protected zone quarantine pests, i.e. Bemisia tabaci (European populations) and Entoleuca mammata, and one EU quarantine pest, i.e. Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates), fulfilled all relevant criteria and were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures described in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated. Expert judgements were given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pests, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infested mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with P. ramorum being the pest most frequently expected on the imported plants. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9738 and 10,000 rooted S. caprea and S. cinerea plants in pots (2 to 15‐year‐old) per 10,000 will be free from P. ramorum.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Populus alba, Populus nigra and Populus tremula imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) 1‐ to 7‐year‐old bare root plants, (b) 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots, (c) 1‐ to 2‐year‐old cell grown plants and (d) bundles of 1‐ to 2‐year‐old cuttings/graftwood (only for P. nigra and P. tremula), taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this Opinion. Two EU protected zone quarantine pests, i.e. Bemisia tabaci (European populations) and Entoleuca mammata, fulfilled all relevant criteria and were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. Expert judgements were given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infested mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on the imported plants. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9730 and 10,000 per 10,000 P. tremula rooted plants in pots (3 to 15 year old) will be free from E. mammata.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Taxus baccata imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) bundles of 2‐year‐old bare root plants (whips), (b) 2‐ to 7‐year‐old bare root plants, either exported as single plants or in bundles, (c) 2‐year‐old cell grown plants exported in bundles, and (d) 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots. The assessment was performed considering the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this opinion. One EU quarantine pest, Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates) fulfilled all relevant criteria and was selected for further evaluation. For the selected pest, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. An expert judgement was given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The fact that T. baccata is an evergreen plant on which P. ramorum can cause foliar infection was considered a critical element in the risk assessment. In addition, the age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infected mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom slightly differs between bare root plants (including whips) and plants in pots (including cell grown plants), with plants in pots being less likely pest free. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9699 and 10,000 3‐ to 15‐year‐old plants in pots and bundles of 2‐year‐old cell grown plants per 10,000 will be free from P. ramorum (non‐EU isolates).

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘high risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers the plant health risks posed by the following commodities: Alnus cordata and A. glutinosa as specimen trees (from 7 to 25 years old) in pots imported into the EU from the UK. A list of pests potentially associated with the commodities was compiled. The relevance of each pest was assessed based on evidence following defined criteria. Three pests were selected for further evaluation: one EU‐protected zone quarantine pest (Entoleuca mammata), one EU quarantine pest (Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates)) and one non‐quarantine pest (Phytophthora siskiyouensis). For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the UK and specified in the technical dossier were evaluated. For these pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. In the assessment of risk, the age of the plants was considered, as larger trees are more likely to be infested mainly due to longer time grown in the field. In addition, large canopies and root systems are more difficult to inspect, thereby making the detection of pests more challenging on large trees. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on imported Alnus spp. specimen trees. Expert Knowledge Elicitation indicated, with 95% certainty, that between 9905 and 10,000 per 10,000 Alnus spp. specimen trees would be free from E. mammata.

The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as 'high-risk plants, plant products and other objects'. Taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the applicant country, this Scientific Opinion covers the plant health risks posed by the following commodities: Alnus cordata, A. glutinosa and A. incana graftwood, bare-root plants and rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old imported into the EU from the UK. A list of pests potentially associated with the commodities was compiled. The relevance of each pest was assessed based on evidence following defined criteria. Two EU-quarantine pests (Entoleuca mammata, Phytophthora ramorum (non-EU isolates)) and one non-quarantine pest (Phytophthora siskiyouensis) were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the UK and specified in the technical dossier were evaluated taking into account the factors reducing their efficacy. For these pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on imported Alnus spp. small trees. Expert knowledge elicitation indicated, with 95% certainty, that between 9927 and 10,000 per 10,000 Alnus spp. small trees (bare-root plants or rooted plants in pots up to 7 years old) would be free from E. mammata.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as ‘High risk plants, plant products and other objects’. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by: grafted potted plants up to 15 years old or bundles of grafted bare root plants up to 3 years old or graftwood up to 2 years old of Prunus armeniaca, P. cerasifera, P. domestica, P. incisa or P. persica imported from the United Kingdom (UK), taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodities were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this opinion. Two quarantine pests, Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia‐related strains (Pear decline Taiwan II, Crotalaria witches' broom phytoplasma, Sweet potato little leaf phytoplasma) and Scirtothrips dorsalis, two protected zone quarantine pests, Bemisia tabaci (European population) and Erwinia amylovora, and two non‐regulated pests, Eulecanium excrescens and Colletotrichum aenigma, that fulfilled all relevant criteria were selected for further evaluation. The risk mitigation measures proposed in the technical Dossier from the UK were evaluated, taking into account the possible limiting factors. For these pests, expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom, taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The degree of pest freedom varied among the pests evaluated, with E. amylovora being the most frequently expected pest on the imported potted plants. The expert knowledge elicitation indicated with 95% certainty that between 9956 and 10,000 potted plants per 10,000 would be free from the above‐mentioned bacterium.

Abstract The European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to deliver a risk assessment on the likelihood of pest freedom from regulated EU quarantine pests, with emphasis on Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its vectors Monochamus spp. of debarked conifer wood chips fumigated with sulfuryl fluoride as proposed by the United States (US) and as outlined in ISPM 28 ‐ PT23 of sulfuryl fluoride (SF) fumigation treatment for nematodes and insects in debarked wood. The assessment considered the different phases in the wood chips' production, with special emphasis on the SF treatment. In addition to B. xylophilus and its vectors Monochamus spp., 22 EU quarantine pests and protected zone quarantine pests, some of which are regulated as groups of pests by the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, are present in the US and are potentially associated with the commodity. For these pests an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the available scientific information and technical information provided by the US, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The likelihood of pest freedom varies among the pests evaluated, with B. xylophilus being the pest most frequently expected on the commodity. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9491 and 10,000 m3 of debarked conifer wood chips treated with SF per 10,000 m3 will be free from B. xylophilus, and that between 9987 and 10,000 m3 of wood chips per 10,000 m3 will be free from Monochamus spp. Technical elements which are critical for a successful treatment and for minimising the presence of Union quarantine pests on the commodity are identified and described in the opinion. In particular, it is important to note that SF treatments are generally less effective in eliminating fungi than insects, the required parameters of the fumigation should be met at all points of the pile of wood chips and the time of storage of wood chips before treatment should be kept as short as possible because B. xylophilus can easily reproduce and spread throughout the pile under conducive conditions.

Understanding the response of forest pests to climate change is essential to assess the future resilience of forest ecosystems. By considering nearly 200 individual research studies, we reviewed the effects of increased temperature and drought on insects and pathogens in six important host tree genera in Europe. Pest performance measures reported in the studies were aggregated at the species level and combined with an assessment of its damage potential to calculate a biotic risk index for the affected tree genera. While warmer temperatures and lower water availability led to an overall increase in biotic risk, we observed a clear ranking among hosts, with Picea and Abies being the most affected, followed by Quercus, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Fagus. Functional groups of pests contributed differently to the genus-specific biotic risk. Our findings will help to improve estimates of tree mortality under climate change and facilitate decision-making in forest management.