British Columbia produces a wide diversity of high value agricultural crops, annually valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars in farm receipts alone. The British Columbia agriculture sector risks losses in production and marketing by the presence or threat of invasive alien species. 

Invasive alien species are species of plants, mammals, arthropods (insects, mites), plant pathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes) that enter a country or region deliberately or accidentally outside their natural habitats. Once introduced, they can quickly establish themselves and spread if suitable food hosts and environmental conditions are present. The lack of natural enemies, which regulate their abundance in their home range, also aids in their establishment and spread. Not only are invasive alien species a threat to cultivated crops, ornamental plants, rangelands, and forests, but they also threaten native plants and animals (biodiversity) by competing for available space and food, or by directly attacking native species.  

The economic consequences of new pests may be directly due to a decrease in marketable yield or quality, or indirect such as quarantine restrictions and market closures. Some invasive alien pests threaten more than one plant-based sector (agriculture, forestry, horticulture). Therefore it is essential affected sectors work together to minimize risks of introduction, establishment and spread. Challenges in minimizing the risks from invasive alien species include:

• Expanding global movement of crops (in particular, fruit, nursery and floriculture), vehicles and people. 

• Increasing annual average temperatures making our climate more suitable for survival.

• Limited resources to maintain adequate surveillance for early detection of introductions and timely application of remedial measures.

In many cases, remedial measures to prevent the establishment and spread of newly introduced invasive pests are unavailable; therefore, the strict application of quarantine regulations and surveillance programs are essential. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has the lead role in maintaining vigilance for specified invasive alien species to prevent their introduction into Canada and their spread between provinces. The CFIA prepares Risk Management Documents of new pests and regulates many pests . The Agency maintains annual surveillance programs within Canada to document the absence of selected pests as well as to detect the presence of new invasive alien species arriving in Canada. The Plant and Animal Branch of the BC Ministry of Agriculture  (BCMA) enforces regulations under the Plant Protection Act [RSBC 1996] Chapter 365. This act allows the Minister to name specified pests in the regulations in order to prevent the establishment and spread of invasive alien species on host materials such as plants, plant parts and containers.

The CFIA, in consultation with other federal and provincial departments and agencies and industry associations, has prepared An Invasive Alien Species Strategy for Canada. The strategic goals of this strategy are:

• To prevent harmful intentional and unintentional introductions

• To detect and identify new invaders in a timely manner

• To respond rapidly to new invaders

• To manage established and spreading invaders through eradication, containment, and control.

All citizens have a responsibility to prevent the introduction of invasive alien pests, whether on the job or on vacation. Anyone importing plants, seeds, propagative material, produce or processed plant products should be aware of and comply with import procedures available on the CFIA web site. 

Citizens can also aid in the detection of newly introduced alien species by reporting any unusual plants, plant diseases, insects or mites to their local garden centre or nursery, or to their nearest BCMA or CFIA office. Early detection and identification will greatly improve chances of eradicating the pest or slowing its spread and damage. The BCMA web site contains pictures and information on some invasive alien species of immediate concern to B.C. 

Newly Introduced and Potential Invasive Alien Plants, Pests and Diseases of Tree Fruits

The following tables list recently introduced invasive alien plants, pests and diseases affecting tree fruits in B.C. and those that pose a high risk of introduction from outside B.C. The majority of invasive plant species and about 2/3 of pests established in or threatening B.C. are species from outside North America.

Table 1. Recent Invasive Alien Pest and Disease Introductions into B.C.

Table 2. Recently Established Invasive Alien Plant Species in B.C. 

Table 3. Potential Invasive Alien Insect Pest and Plant Disease Introductions. 

Table 4. Invasive Alian Plant Species with the potential to establish in BC