FABI had the pleasure of hosting a visit on the 22 August by a delegation of senior management and researchers from the Indonesia-based Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL), a division of the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Group of companies. Led by APRIL’s Head of Fibre, Mr Anderson Tanoto and Head of Research, Dr Mukesh Sharma, the group was welcomed by the Institute’s Director, Prof. Mike Wingfield. The visit included a round table discussion regarding the challenges that pests and pathogens pose to commercial forestry internationally. And more specifically how multidisciplinary research can addresses these challenges. The rapid spread of pests and pathogens, driven by increasing international air travel and sea trade, has made it imperative to cement international collaborations to combat these invasive species. The group toured some of FABI’s key facilities including world-class laboratories and the Institute’s Biocontrol Centre on the University of Pretoria’s Research Farm.  The intention of this visit will be to build closer research ties on pests and pathogens threatening plantation forestry globally.  This follows a long-term philosophy of the tree health team at FABI, the largest single group globally working on tree health issues to engage across a broad international landscape. Thus to produce increasingly robust knowledge on the pathways of movement of tree pests and to reduce the threats posed by them.