Integrated pest management in forestry: some difficulties in pursuing the holy-grail

Summary As Australian forests become more intensively managed, there is increasing interest in the development of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for the control of forest pests. IPM, in the strict sense, is a research model which uses tools such as economic injury levels (EIL's), growth impact models and pest population monitoring to help coordinate the application and timing of pest control techniques. Because of economic and practical constraints (such as effective monitoring, determination of EIL's and low operating budgets), I argue that IPM may be an inappropriate model upon which to base research priorities. As an alternative, I remind both researchers and forest managers that many pest control techniques, such as biological control and silvicultural management, can be used effectively outside an IPM framework. Because forest managers ultimately dictate the level of support which is given to forest health management, it should be at the corporate level, rather than the research level, that the decision as to which pest management model to be followed is made.