In the 1960s and 1970s, tax incentives for reforestation were of great importance for the Paraná forest sector. In the beginning, the crops were established in marginal areas of the property, planting and letting the trees grow until the cutting and extraction of the wood, without due care and without adequate management, waiting only for the extraction to take place. As the first foresters used to say: “plant and wait to get the results of planting”.

But everything that is cultivated needs planning, care and handling, and only after full development is harvested and the results obtained. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was news of the introduction and dissemination of a forest pest, the wood wasp, Sirex noctilio, which could compromise the balance and production of pine crops in southern Brazil, a crop that developed so well in that region.

As a result, it was necessary to adopt technologies and actions to manage this pest. In search of a lasting solution, Embrapa deepened research for its control, through the development of technologies and the creation and distribution of the nematode Deladenus siricidicola, which is a biological agent that sterilizes female wood wasps. Thus, in the 1990s, measures were taken to manage the pest in pine stands in Brazil. The studies and researches were developed for the early detection of the arrival of the pest in the pine plantations and to make possible the introduction of the biological control in the stands, aiming at the control of the same.

The Agricultural Defense of Paraná has been present since the beginning of the introduction of the wood wasp in the state, when, in 1988, the State Commission for Prevention and Combat against Wood Wasp was created, and, in 1990, it was implemented the Madeira Wasp Monitoring Project in the state. In this sense, the State Agricultural Defense acted in the establishment of specific legislation for the control and monitoring of the pest, training of inspectors, training of technicians and producers, as well as in the dispersion of these methodologies throughout the territory of Paraná.

In this way, due to the importance of the pine culture for the state, the defense work has become permanent and active, creating conditions for producers to adopt the management measures developed by the research, in order to keep the pest under control in the cultivation of pine in Paraná.

As a result, in the state, measures to monitor and control the wood wasp became a legal requirement, as of 1996, with the institution of Resolution 215, by the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of Paraná. With the advancement of research at Embrapa Florestas, the legislation has been updated over the years, in which new steps have been inserted for monitoring and controlling the pest. Below is a brief history of the evolution of wood wasp legislation in the state:

In 1988: Institution of the State Commission for the Prevention and Combat of the Wood Wasp;
In 1990: Implementation of the Wood Vespa Monitoring Project;
In 1993: Institution of the State Resolution of the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State of Paraná number 123;
In 1996: Institution of the State Resolution of the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State of Paraná number 215;
In 2009: Institution of State Resolution number 115;
In 2016: Institution of Paraná Agricultural Defense Agency Ordinance number 280.

Currently, the pest still requires management and control, being ruled by the Paraná Agricultural Defense Agency Ordinance number 280 of 2016, which provides for phytosanitary measures for the control of Pinus crops in Paraná. The state stands out as a leader in the production of pine on the national scene, with about 40% of plantations, with excellent productivity. It has also stood out in the production of eucalyptus, ranking third nationally in forest crops. Also noteworthy are the industrial sectors of this segment, considering it to be one of the largest, most consolidated and diversified industrial parks in the country.

In this sense, over the years, the Agricultural Defense Agency of Paraná, carried out more than 30 Phytosanitary Certification Courses for the pine crop, in which the monitoring and control methodologies of the wood wasp were propagated, based on in federal and state legislation, disseminating the adoption of pest management and control measures, developed by official research.



The results of this joint work between the institutions changed the way forests were managed, making the activity of planting and growing pine trees more technological, a fact that boosted the entire timber chain in the state.

Based on the economic and social importance of the forest sector for the state, it is clear that constant planning and management between the entities involved is necessary, focused on monitoring plantations to avoid the introduction of new pests. In this way, it deserves special attention and energy for investments in monitoring ports in foreign trade, in phytosanitary barriers and in cultivation areas, as a new pest introduced causes instability in the entire production chain, from the generation and maintenance of jobs to trade and in the production of wood and non-wood products.

Therefore, the Paraná forestry sector, forestry research bodies and the plant health defense must be attentive and vigilant, in order to quickly perceive any changes that may occur in the areas of crops, nurseries and others, for the rapid adoption of management strategies. and control, in order to mitigate the risk of introducing important pests that could cause damage and economically impact the state's timber production chain.