Susan Crocker

I am a Research Forester in the Northern Research Station's Forest Inventory and Analysis (NRS-FIA) program; NRS-FIA conducts annual inventories of forest land across all ownerships in the 24-state region that encompasses the Northeast, Midwest and Upper Great Plains. I serve as the lead FIA analyst for New Jersey and Illinois, evaluating and reporting on state-level forest conditions and trends. I also serve as regional lead for insect and disease analyses. My current research utilizes a landscape-scale approach to identify the mechanisms that influence insect spread and to assess the impacts of forest insect pests on forest resources. To date, I have focused particularly on the study of the exotic emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), using landscape-level models and geospatial approaches to categorize risk and predict patterns of EAB dispersal.

· Landscape and spatial ecology of forest insects

· Mapping and analyzing forest insect disturbance

· Predicting and preventing establishment of insect pests

· Monitoring impacts of insects pests on plant hosts

Comprehensive forest resource information provides the basis for sound forest policy and management strategies. It also offers a synoptic view of insect activity and the resulting impacts on the structure and composition of forest resources. Landscape-scale approaches that incorporate ground-level forest inventory data can improve our understanding of the influence of forest ecosystems on insect dispersal patterns and subsequent impacts to forest land. This research will provide more effective means of detecting and managing insect pests like EAB, and will inform mitigation strategies designed to slow insect spread and reduce impacts to forest resources.