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Thousand Cankers Disease Survey Maps

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Black walnuts killed by thousand cankers disease. (Photo courtesy of bugwood.org, by Curtis Utley, CSUE) Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD ) results from the combined activity of a fungus, Geosmithia morbida, and the walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis. TCD was originally described from scattered locations throughout western states. Now it appears that WTB and, by association, TCD,…
#InvasiveSpecies, #ForestHealth, #Maps, #Disease, #ForestHealthProtection

Fighting invasive emerald ash borers with woodpeckers and citizen scientists

Emerald Ash Borer
Invasive non-native insects have been called the “wildfires of the East,” given the damage they cause to trees. One pest, the emerald ash borer, has killed hundreds of millions of rural and urban ash trees.  An arborist injects an ash tree with insecticide. (USDA Forest Service photo by Therese Poland.)…
#EmeraldAshBorer, #Woodpeckers, #CitizenScience, #Birds, #Invasives, #InvasiveSpecies

Invasive jumping worms can change their world

Earthworm on top of the soil
Across the eastern U.S., Asian jumping worms are eating part of the forest ecosystem – the top layer of the soil. By affecting the soil, the worms are affecting many other species of plants and animals. (Courtesy photo by Tom Potterfield) In a garden, earthworms can be great for soil. And a…
#InvasiveSpecies

Biological Control

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Biological Control Program Aleiodes indiscretus wasp parasitizing a Lymantria dispar dispar caterpillar. Courtesy photo from Bugwood.org, by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service. The Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team biological control program (FHAAST-BC) is part of the broader Forest Service’s National Strategic Framework for Invasive Species…
#ForestHealthProtection, #InvasiveSpecies, #Insects

Invasive Species

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Invasive Forest Insects Emerald ash borer. Courtesy photo from bugwood.org, by David Cappaert, Michigan State University. There are hundreds of species of non-native insects in our forests; several species, due to lack of host resistance and lack of natural enemies, have caused significant damage to our natural and urban forests. Infestations by non-native insects can significantly impact a…
#InvasiveSpecies, #ForestHealthProtection, #Insects

Protecting the Forest

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Effective beginning 5/30/2025 This website, and all linked websites under the control of the agency is under review and content may change. Native Forest Insects and Diseases Southern pine beetle damage on the Snoopy Plantation, Indian Mounds Wilderness Field. Texas A&M Forest Service photo by Ronald F. Billings. Native insects and pathogens are an important…
#ForestHealthProtection, #Insects, #InvasiveSpecies, #Climate