This rapid assessment shows: 

Risk for entry is: Unlikely in association with plants for planting (due to prohibitions that are currently in place), with low to very low risks associated with movement of soil and timber. 

Risk of establishment is: High should P. pinifolia be introduced in the UK, particularly in western parts of the British Isles due to climatic compatibility. 

Economic, environmental and social impacts are expected to be: Very small if only Pinus radiata is affected by the pest. However, if other conifer species and particularly other Pinus spp such as P. sylvestris showed some level of susceptibility, then the impacts would be much higher. 

Endangered area: All of the UK, but limited by the sparse distribution of the main known host Pinus radiata which is largely limited to south west England and the coastal regions of Wales and southern England. 

Risk management: The EC Plant Health Directive (Annex III: Anon. 2000) prohibits the import of Pinus species, other than seeds, from non-European countries so measures are already in place to exclude the pest from the UK. However, the effectiveness of these actions could be undermined if the host range of P. pinifolia, currently assumed to be limited to conifer species and primarily those within the genus Pinus, encompasses a much wider range of plant families as is the case with other invasive Phytophthora species such as P. cinnamomi or P. ramorum. Should the pest arrive and establish in the UK there are measures available to minimise impacts (see 15) but most would require evaluation to measure their effectiveness in relation to the UK climate and potential environmental impacts.