The emerald ash borer and canker stain of plane in focus at a FORSAID seminar in Lviv

On 22 October 2026, the Ukrainian National Forestry University (UNFU) in Lviv, a FORSAID consortium member, hosted the seminar “One beetle against the system: the emerald ash borer situation in Ukraine”. Made possible by the project’s financial support, the event brought together specialists in forestry, phytosanitary control, plant protection and green space management. Despite the challenging present circumstances in the country, it attracted considerable interest and active participation.

Proceedings began with a minute of silence, followed by welcoming remarks from the organisers. In their opening speeches, Vasyl Lavnyi, Vice-Rector for Research at UNFU and Halyna Mykytchak of the Lviv City Council stressed the need for scientists, practitioners and local authorities to join forces against the spread of dangerous pests and tree diseases.

The first part of the seminar focused on the emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis), one of FORSAID’s target species. More specifically, representatives of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP) and the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine (State Forestry Agency) covered monitoring results, phytosanitary measures, interagency cooperation and surveillance in forestry enterprises.

Broadening the picture, Kateryna Davydenko of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) highlighted that Ukraine’s ash trees face the combined threat of the borer and the ash dieback pathogen (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). Iryna Matsiakh, who coordinates FORSAID’s Ukrainian team, then reviewed how the United States and Canada track and combat the EAB, pointing to methods that could be adapted to local conditions, particularly in urban areas. Marta Kostetska of the Lviv Phytosanitary Testing Laboratory followed, explaining the organisation’s role in identifying Agrilus planipennis.

The ensuing discussion, “EAB and Ash Trees: Fight or Adapt?”, explored the prospects for managing affected ash stands. Participants emphasised the need to train forest protection specialists, forestry enterprise staff and municipal authorities. Citizen science was also considered important, both for detecting pests and for finding disease-resistant trees. At the same time, securing funding to monitor and contain EAB and ash dieback was identified as especially difficult, given the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The second part of the programme shifted its focus to urban green spaces, with plane trees in the spotlight. Widely planted in Ukrainian settlements for their tolerance of city conditions, they are, however, threatened by the potential introduction of Ceratocystis platani, the causal agent of canker stain of plane. Not currently present in the country, this quarantine fungus is also among FORSAID’s target species.

The session then took an international turn. Joining online, arborist Francis Maire described the situation in France, from the pathogen’s biology to disease management. Artur Trzcianski, a tree care professional at Trädexperterna Biodiversitree AB, followed with a talk on trunk injection as a protection tool in practice.

Back on home ground, Olena Pylyavska of the Dnipropetrovsk Phytosanitary Testing Laboratory outlined its capabilities for identifying Ceratocystis platani. Rounding off the presentations, Volodymyr Kramarets (UNFU) gave an overview of the pathogens affecting ash and plane, highlighting how biotic and abiotic factors can combine to exacerbate tree decline.

All in all, the seminar proved a much-needed event, offering an important opportunity for an international professional exchange. It also reaffirmed the wider community’s view that protecting forests and urban greenery calls for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental cooperation.

Further details on FORSAID’s target species can be found here.