WASHINGTON, DC—Arbor Day is the perfect time to reflect on the trees in our nation’s forests, as well as the efforts that land managers and scientists take to keep those forests healthy. Both forests and grasslands are vulnerable to environmental stresses such as fire, insects and diseases, invasive species and drought. Some of these stresses are natural. They help maintain forest health and balance in the long term by reducing competition among trees for resources.

The impacts of insects, diseases and invasive species can be exacerbated by climate change and past management practices, which can allow them to reach damaging levels that threaten forest health, diversity and sustainability. Forest Service scientists are at the forefront, working to protect forests by evaluating the effects and consequences of these multiple, often interacting, stresses on forest and grassland health.

Forest Service scientists and partners work to develop disease-resistant tree varieties, harness emerging technologies to detect novel threats, and discover innovative strategies for managing forest insects and diseases, including the use of biological control agents, or pesticides. For example, they are studying how and why invasive species might spread, matching causes with specific symptoms to better identify a cryptic disease, and using drones to carry a biological control agent to hard-to-reach places.

These and other science-based management practices are critical to keeping forests and grasslands healthy.