Yes. Thank you very much, Chair, and good morning.
I would like to thank the honourable members of the committee for inviting the Invasive Species Centre here to speak today.
In 2011, the not-for-profit Invasive Species Centre, or ISC, was formed through a collaborative memorandum of understanding as a strategic initiative of the Canadian Forest Service, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, as a unique example of partnership and a Canadian hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Our mission is to connect stakeholders, knowledge and technology to prevent and reduce the spread of invasive species in Canada. We are a bridging organization between research and research end-users, bringing knowledge to action. In the last two years alone, we have made over 170 policy impacts by risk assessments and best management practices; welcomed 10,000 people to consultations, training, and presentations; and have had a very strong digital presence.
As you know, insects are one of the most important disturbance agents in Canada's forests, and many of the worst are considered to be invasive.
A species is invasive if it is introduced outside of its native range and has potential negative impacts on ecology, economy or society in its introduced range. Invasive species introductions are regarded as the second greatest threat to global biodiversity, next to habitat loss. Forest pests are significant because of their dynamic nature and the substantial value of forest ecosystems to our environment, economy and society.
The introduction of an invasive forest pest can cause a decline in the biodiversity and health of a forest ecosystem but also a large reduction in wood fibre. This loss of trees can reduce habitat for native animals and insects, create canopy gaps altering the microclimate of the forest, and make that forest even more vulnerable to additional invasive species, overall reducing biodiversity. One of the greatest direct economic impacts of forest pest outbreaks is felt by the forestry sector through reduced wood supply or wood quality. This can significantly lower revenues for forest companies, impacting the economic strength of this sector, one of Canada's most important manufacturing sectors.
In many cases, outbreaks start in urban settings. The spread of invasive species is heavily influenced by human activity, following common shipping and trade routes. In urban settings, individual trees are valued for environmental and economic services and for their social and health benefits. TD Economics valued the trees in Toronto's urban forest alone at $7 billion, and that's about $700 per tree, and they calculated that they provide Torontonians with 80 million dollars' worth of environmental benefits and cost savings per year.
From 2016 to 2018, we at the Invasive Species Centre surveyed Ontario municipalities to assess their annual direct expenditures on invasive species management. Analysis and projection on this data indicates that Ontario municipalities alone are collectively spending $36.4 million per year, or an average of $380,000 per year per municipality. This is considered to be a conservative estimate and is focused on Ontario for the purpose of this study. Full impacts and expenditures would be much greater for Canada.
Since 2011, when the federal and provincial governments established the ISC, we have been working collaboratively with federal and provincial governments in improving invasive species outcomes in Canada, particularly with addressing gaps and reducing overlap. Along with our partners, we have shared and supported government objectives on forest pests and would like to highlight the following.
We've provided leadership and support to improve collaboration at the regional, species and pathways levels. We've conducted research on the firewood movement pathway in particular, for the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers' forest pest working group. We've conducted training for practitioners on hemlock woolly adelgid and oak wilt identification and preventative practices, two species that are of great concern to Canada, including hosting workshops, developing fact sheets, participating on advisory committees and engaging citizen scientists.
We contribute to policy solutions such as best management practices for firewood movement in partnership with the Canadian Council on Invasive Species. We have developed a “made in Ontario” risk assessment and early detection rapid response plan for mountain pine beetle that incorporates knowledge and experience from western Canada within the context of Ontario's forests.
We've brought detailed recommendations that came out of that risk assessment. My colleague David can highlight these in more detail as a case study during the question period, if you would like more information.
Ecological and socio-economic risk assessment research has been completed on forest pest species to support regulation under Ontario's Invasive Species Act. We've also improved response capacity and increased the state of the knowledge. We've developed a website, forestinvasives.ca, which is an online hub for information on invasive pests that threaten Canada's forests.
We've developed social media posts to stimulate discussion and get quick dissemination of information and pest alerts to the public. We've created a citizen science program—the Early Detection and Rapid Response Network Ontario—to engage community members to learn and respond to invasive species detection. We are very close to publishing an emerald ash borer manual for land managers in partnership with Natural Resources Canada. This will be a step-by-step guide from pre-invasion to post-invasion for municipalities, first nations and other land managers.
We've created an online database of invasive species risk assessments, which is the first multi-taxa, searchable public database of its kind in Canada. We provide insect diagnostic services for the Province of Ontario, and we verify findings to report to authorities. We've also worked with CFIA to integrate regulated area data into public interfaces, as well as targeted outreach on forest pests in high-risk areas, including the most recent Winnipeg emerald ash borer detection.
These successes can be attributed to intensive collaboration from a number of groups. Accomplishments have been considerable, but we still have significant work to do. Most species invasions follow a similar pattern, commonly referred to as the invasion curve, which compares time to area occupied, beginning from the first occurrence of a species in a new area. As time goes on, the invasive species spreads further into the environment, almost exponentially, until it becomes widely established on the landscape. If the species is detected early in the invasion curve—for example, a single infested tree—then it can be easily and quickly eradicated. However, if an invasive species becomes widespread and established at the landscape level, eradication is much less likely and very costly.
A 2009 report prepared for the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers concluded that Canada could have avoided a cost of $165 million annually by preventing the introduction and establishment of four high-profile invasive forest insects and diseases. The estimated average annual cost over the next 20 years is $34 million if just one additional invasive species were to become established in Canada. For every $1 spent on coordinated multi-jurisdictional prevention activities, $3 in mitigation, regulatory and depletion costs can be avoided if that pest is prevented from establishing.
With an expected increase in invasions and outbreaks in the future, we must focus on a state of preparedness. In terms of strategy, our recommended next steps include that the federal government, with the support of its partner network, scan the horizon and be proactive, preparing for future invasions rather than reacting to invasive species that are already present. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Future strategies and enhanced investments by the federal government should focus on the early stage of an invasion or outbreak, prevention and early detection. Early detection and a rapid sustained response to an invasive species are critical to reduce long-term economic, environmental and social impacts. A national fund that could be established by the federal government in collaboration with their provincial partners would mitigate costly delays and support response in an efficient way. The federal government could improve outcomes by increased investment and streamlining processes in existing partnerships and collaborative networks, both domestic and international.
The Invasive Species Centre was formed by government. It is well positioned as an organization rooted in science with the proven ability to facilitate collaboration and eliminate inefficiencies to implement these actions.
We look forward to working with all partners, both government and non-government, to address forest pest issues within Canada.
