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About FHP
Who We Are
Forest Health Protection (FHP) traces its roots to the early 1960's. Plagued by serious insect and disease outbreaks, such as southern pine beetle, chestnut blight, gypsy moth and fusiform rust, the Forest Service saw the need for a specialized unit designed to work exclusively on pest problems related to forest resource productivity and management.
The unit provides technical assistance in the prevention, detection, evaluation, and suppression of forest insect and disease pest problems. In addition, expertise is available in the areas of seed orchard pest management, nursery disease problems, pesticide use, protection of wood in use, and remote sensing for monitoring insect populations and/or damage.
FHP is comparable to other specialized Forest Service units, such as engineering, recreation, and wildlife. The most significant difference is that we provide forest health assistance not only to managers of National Forests, but to managers of all forested lands.
Where We Work
FHP maintains three offices in the Southern Region. Our headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia and we have two field offices. One in Alexandria, Louisiana services the Western Gulf States and one in Asheville, North Carolina which serves the Southeastern United States. The Asheville field office serves Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Alexandria field office serves Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. FHP also administers the Resistance Screening Center near Asheville. There seedlings are screened for genetic resistance to destructive diseases.
The Director of Forest Health Protection is on the Regional Forester's immediate staff as are the unit leaders of Recreation, Forest Products, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Range, etc.
Who Are Our Clients?
FHP provides assistance to:
- National Forest managers
- Other Federal land managers. Agencies include the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and agencies in the Department of Defense.
- Cooperating State natural resource management and regulatory agencies.
What We Provide
In FHP,we provide a wide range of technical assistance for management of forest pests. In some instances, we also provide financial support.
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Technical Assistance
- On-site evaluation of pest problems
- Pest identification and management recommendations
- Detection surveys and loss assessments
- Forest nursery insect and disease management
- Tree seed orchard insect and disease management
- Training programs tailored to specific needs
- Remote sensing imagery acquisition and interpretation
- Technology transfer through demonstration projects, publications and workshops
- Pesticide
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Financial Assistance
Cooperative Forest Health Program -- This cost-sharing program provides financial and technical assistance for State forest pest management programs. To qualify, the State must have a professional forest health specialist who provides pest management assistance to non-federal land managers and reports on the condition/health of their forested lands.
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Cooperative Prevention and Suppression Programs
These programs provide financial and technical assistance for prevention and suppression projects that meet economic, biological, and environmental criteria. The FHP share of state cooperative programs varies, but is generally one-fourth for public lands, one third for private land owners of 500 acres or more, and one-half for private landowners with less than 500 acres. Federal suppression programs are fully funded by FH.
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Forest Health Monitoring
Cooperating with Forest Research and States, FHP is helping with a growing national program designed to monitor the health of the nation's forests. Permanent plots, surveys, and evaluations are funded.
Purpose of Our Staff
The PURPOSE of Forest Health Protection is to partnership with state and federal cooperators in providing technical assistance, technology transfer, evaluations, suppression, eradication, technology development, monitoring and planning to protect, improve and restore the health of the South's forested ecosystems.
Our Mission
The mission of Forest Health Protection - Southern Region is to increase community awareness of forest health issues; and, in cooperation with federal, state and private partners, to provide strategies and methods to protect, improve and restore the health of forest ecosystems in the South.
Our Vision
The vision of Forest Health Protection - Southern Region is successful management of the forested ecosystems of the South so they are viewed as healthy.