The known hosts species for this pest are considered high risk and are prohibited from import into the EU therefore the risks of entry from North America are low. The pest has not yet been found in European regions where Fagus species can be imported into Ireland. However, surveys for the pest within the EU are not yet routine. Given the exact origin of the pest and its full range of possible plants have not been conclusively established the full risk of pest entry is not yet entirely clear. However, based on the current knowledge of the pest’s host range and distribution its potential for entry into Ireland should be considered low. The likelihood of establishment is considered high given the widespread distribution of host plants. The climate tolerances of the pest indicate it can withstand harsh winters and northernly climates. The Koppen-Geiger climate classification for the areas BLD is distributed in the USA and Canada are composed by climatic regions designated as Cfa, CFb Dfa and Dfb (World Maps of Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification, 2019). This overlaps with the Koppen-Geiger classification for Ireland (Cfb). Therefore, Ireland can be considered as most likely having a suitable climate for the pest to establish particularly in light of the widespread distribution and abundance of host beech plants. The economic importance of beech (Fagus) as a forestry species in Ireland is low. Hedging would be the most at risk sector for BLD. The ability of the pest to spread appears to be quite rapid and the effectiveness of containment measures appears to be limited. Though the economic value of the sector is comparatively low compared to silviculture tree species, the cost of eradication (removing infected trees) if an outbreak occurred would add to the total costs. A potential economic damage score is therefore Low with moderate uncertainty. No further regulatory actions are proposed at his time as trade in host plants from North America is currently prohibited. However, DAFM inspectors conducting forestry inspections may consider undertaking visual inspections (observing for banding patterns) when on beech forestry sites.