Forest Health Action Guide

Glossy buckthorn attacking NYC forests

The Forest Health Action Guide is a step-by-step guide to proactively monitor, respond and mitigate forest health threats — insects, pests and diseases — in your community.

Getting the word out

Oakland Volunteers at planting site.

Residents must be directly engaged in urban forest initiatives. Without their collaboration, local expertise, vision and goals, plans can fail and trust in city governance can erode. Below are three public outreach examples from Balitmore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, DC. Click the photos to visit the organizations that led these campaigns.

Forest Health Resources and Funding Opportunities

Detroit Conservation Corps members.

Resources Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Major forest health crises may be viewed as natural disasters that qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief. And if other sorts of disasters might strike, funds allocated might be used to layer forest health activities on to normal FEMA-funded recovery programs. FEMA’s also recognizes that healthy […]

IPM Ordinances

Sign at front of City Hall.

Once Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is adopted as official city policy, it provides a stronger legal foundation for taking preventative actions and a starting point for proactive public engagement.  Below is a list of states that codified IPM. Georgia Massachusetts Oregon IPM Challenges Under IPM, some pests and diseases will need to be treated with […]

Washington State’s Citizen Science Program

Field assessor for invasive species

Washington Pest Watch is a citizen science initiative led by agencies and universities that focuses on protecting and enhancing Washington’s forest health and natural resources. The majority of network members are everyday people, without a technical background, who keep their eyes peeled for the signs and symptoms of high-priority pests and dieases and report them […]

How Citizen Outreach Enhances Pest Detection

Of 70 newly identified pests in Washington State, 36 percent were first found by private citizens – outpacing professionals who discovered 28 percent. View the article Looney, Chris & Murray, Todd & LaGasa, Eric & Hellman, Warren & Passoa, Steven. (2016). “Shadow Surveys: How Non-Target Identifications and Citizen Outreach Enhance Exotic Pest Detection.” American Entomologist. […]

Healthy Trees – Healthy People: A Model for Citizen Science Engagement

A close-up photo of a Spotted Lanternfly on a spider web. In the background are green leaves. In the foreground is the lanternfly. The lanternfly has two layers of wings with each layer getting smaller. The top wings are light pink with large black spots leading to smaller black spots at the tip. The second layer wings are black at the top, white in the middle leading to bright red with black dots and black tips at the end. The head and arms of the lanternfly are black.

Healthy Trees – Healthy People is an adaptable framework that helps prepare community members to identify tree pests. The link includes training guides and sample materials. Healthy Trees — Healthy People Norman-Burgdolf, H., Rieske, L. “Healthy trees – Healthy people: A model for engaging citizen scientists in exotic pest detection in urban parks,” Urban Forestry […]

Age Matters

Dutch elm disease decimated the species in the US.

As trees grow older, they become more vulnerable to a combination of single events and ongoing environmental changes, such as storms, pests, diseases and drought. The information below describes prevention strategies to lower the spread of pests and diseases, especially for older trees that may be more susceptible. How to Manage a Multi-generational Forest Over […]

Shared Forest Health Management

Washington State is one example where all level of government share responsibilities managing forest health and resiliency. A quick review of the chart below can reveal opportunities across levels and locations, from collaboration to gaps, to inform your forest health management and resiliency efforts. Level Organizations Responsibilities Federal USDA APHIS PPQ (Plant Pest and Disease Program) […]

Public Information Campaigns

Close up photo of an Asian Long-Horned Beetle. The Bettle is fuzzy with brown legs and antennae. The body is a light brow/ yellow color with small black spots.

Dozens of municipalities have mounted extraordinary efforts to collaborate with the public and policymakers to share information about current and future pests and diseases that impact urban forests.   Why invasive species matter Consider these education campaign examples as resources for your leadership and the public to address pest and disease prevention. Emerald Ash Borer Toolkit […]