Potential impact of EHB
In other countries where EHB has become established, it has been very destructive.
Climatic modelling shows the pest has the capacity to survive and grow between Carnarvon and Ceduna and could pose a threat to houses as well as the State’s pine industry.
There have been no confirmed cases of EHB infestation in buildings at this stage.
The use of untreated pine in houses, especially in roofs, is a recent development in Western Australia, with few houses older than 10 years having significant amounts of untreated structural pine.
In dry roof timbers EHB probably has a lifecycle of five to six years, so it is believed there has been insufficient time for the borer to cause structural damage.
In South Africa, it took 20 to 25 years of EHB infestation for structural collapse to occur.
The extensive use of untreated pine in Western Australian roofs has occurred over the past five years and it is expected these structures will be increasingly at risk over the next 15 to 20 years.
The development of large populations of EHB in dead trees in suburban areas and in pine plantations will be the source of risk to structural pine. |
