(2)

Annex II is amended as follows: (a) point 2 is replaced by the following: ‘2. Member States shall perform annual surveys of the susceptible plants and the vector in the infested zones by inspecting, sampling and testing those plants and the vector for the presence of PWN. Those surveys shall give particular attention to susceptible plants which are dead, in poor health or affected by fire or storm. They shall be focused on parts of the infested zone which are adjacent to the buffer zones, with the aim to preserve those zones. Member States shall fell all susceptible plants in which PWN is found to be present and remove and dispose of those plants and their logging remains, taking all necessary precautions to avoid spreading of PWN and its vectors.’ (b) point 3 is replaced by the following: ‘3. Member States shall take the following measures in the buffer zones: (a) Member States shall perform, outside and during the flight season of the vector, surveys of the susceptible plants in the buffer zones by inspecting, sampling and testing those plants and the vector for the presence of PWN. They shall also perform surveys of the vector of PWN during its flight season. Those surveys shall give particular attention to susceptible plants which are dead, in poor health or affected by fire or storm, and to vectors which are situated in areas where PWN is likely to be present or where delayed expression of symptoms can be expected. The sampling of susceptible plants shall be carried out in several parts of each plant including the crown. Those surveys shall also be performed on cut stems, cutting residues, naturally occurring debris showing signs of activity of insect vectors and located in parts of the demarcated areas where wilt symptoms of the susceptible plants are not expected to occur. (b) Member States shall, throughout the concerned buffer zones, identify and fell all susceptible plants which are dead, in poor health or affected by fire or storm. They shall remove and dispose of plants felled and logging remains, taking all necessary precautions to avoid spreading of PWN and its vector before and during felling and under the following conditions: (i) Susceptible plants identified outside the flight season of the vector shall, before the next flight season, be felled and destroyed on site, moved under official control into the infested zone or removed. In the last case the wood and bark of those plants shall either be treated, as set out in point 2(a) of Section 1 of Annex III, or processed, as set out in point 2(b) of Section 2 of Annex III. (ii) Susceptible plants identified during the flight season of the vector shall, immediately, be felled and destroyed on site, moved under official control into the infested zone or removed. In the last case the wood and bark of those plants shall either be treated, as set out in point 2(a) of Section 1 of Annex III, or processed, as set out in point 2(b) of Section 2 of Annex III. Felled susceptible plants, other than plants completely destroyed by forest fires, shall be sampled and tested for the presence of PWN, according to a sampling scheme able to confirm with 99 % reliability that the level of presence of PWN in those susceptible plants is below 0,02 %. By way of derogation from point (ii), where a Member State concludes that the felling and removal of susceptible plants identified during the flight season and affected by fire or storm is inappropriate, the Member State concerned may decide to proceed with the felling and removal of those plants before the start of the next flight season. During such felling and removal, the susceptible plants concerned shall be either destroyed on site or removed and their wood and bark treated, in accordance with point 2(a) of Section 1 of Annex III, or processed, in accordance with point 2(b) of Section 2 of Annex III. Where this derogation applies, and without prejudice to point (a), the Member State concerned shall, within the flight season, perform intensive surveys in the area affected by fire or storm by sampling and testing those vectors for the presence of PWN and, if confirmed, perform intensified surveys of the susceptible plants located in the surrounding area, by inspecting, sampling and testing those plants which show signs or symptoms of the presence of PWN (c) As regards susceptible wood identified in the buffer zone during the flight season of the vector, as referred to in point (b), Member States shall strip logs of felled susceptible plants of their bark, or treat those logs with an insecticide known to be effective against the vector or cover those logs with an insect net drenched in such an insecticide immediately after felling. After stripping, treating or covering, the susceptible wood shall, under official supervision, immediately be moved to a storage place or to an authorised treatment facility. Wood, which was not stripped of its bark, shall, immediately, at its storage place or at the authorised treatment facility, once more, be treated with an insecticide known to be effective against the vector or covered with an insect net drenched in such an insecticide. Wood waste produced at the time of felling of susceptible plants which is left on site shall be chipped into pieces of less than 3 cm thickness and width. By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, where the Member State concludes that stripping of the bark, treatment with an insecticide known to be effective against the vector and coverage with an insect net drenched in such an insecticide are inappropriate, the wood, which was not stripped of its bark, shall be immediately destroyed on site. Where this derogation applies, wood waste produced at the time of felling of susceptible plants which is left on site and wood not stripped of its bark which is destroyed on site, shall be chipped into pieces less than 3 cm thick and less than 3 cm wide.’