Invasive Pests

Family woodland owners, who own roughly one-third of the nation’s forests and woodlands, are greatly impacted by invasive (non-native) forest pests — plants, insects and disease. The damage to our communities, our environment, and our economy from these invasive species is tremendous.  Some estimate the damages at over $138 billion annually, due to losses in the forest products industry, the tourism and recreation industry, and woodland owner income.  If a forest pest infests  a family woodland owner’s land, it can mean  complete destruction of their land, loss of a significant family treasure, a severe reduction in land-based income, and elimination of wildlife habitat despite intense investment in time, effort, and money.

Forest Pests and their Effects

While much harder to quantify, the impact on our environment is probably more severe and includes impacts like denuded watersheds, destruction of critical habitat for wildlife, and complete obliteration of tree species. Listed below are just a handful of the invasive pests America’s family forest owners face today.

• Emerald Ash Borer
  An invasive insect from Siberia, China, and Korea, it eats its way through the trunk and major branches of trees, cutting off water and nutrient flow to the rest of the tree.  The Emerald Ash Borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in southern Michigan alone since its introduction in 2002.  The insect has spread to parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryalnd, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Studies estimate the cost of control and damage repair at $20 billion over the next 10 years.
• Gypsy Moth
  Originally introduced in the U.S. from Europe or Asia in the 1860s, the gyspy moth feeds on the leaves of  hardwoods, particularly economically valuable oak stands.  Infestations can completely denude trees of their canopies—1 million acres are affected throughout the eastern US annually.
• Asian Longhorned Beetle
  Introduced from China in the 1980s, this beetle is currently present in New York, New Jersey, and  recently expanded to Worcester, Massachusetts.  Its larvae bore and feed on a range of hardwoods.  If it becomes well established, the beetle could cause significant disruptions to the tourism and maple syrup industries in the northeastern U.S.
• Cogongrass
  Introduced in Alabama in 1911, this invasive grass from the South Pacific and South Asia has overtaken more acreage in the Southeast than kudzu.  Cogongrass spreads through seeding and through the use of tilling equipment and causes increases in the temperatures of forest fires—leading to severe, unnatural damage to forested ecosystems following wildfires. 
• Sudden Oak Death
  Threatens nearly 100 North American species, including common trees such as oaks, black walnut, sugar maple, and magnolia.  This pathogen spreads through the transport of infested nursery plants.  In 2009, 24 nurseries had infested plants in Florida, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Texas, and California.
• Sirex Woodwasp
  Infests pine species and currently occupies a great deal of New York, Pennsylvania, and parts of Vermont, Michigan, and Ohio.  While other woodwasps only prey on dead pines, the sirex attacks living trees as well, laying eggs that, when hatched, eat their way through the trunk.

Recommendations

While pests have threatened our forests for centuries, with our increasingly globalized society, increasing global trade and travel, invasive forest pest infestations have increased significantly in the last decade.  At the same time, this globalization has also opened new market opportunities for family woodland owners to generate income.

Improve & Provide Adequate Funding for:

• Federal, state, and local efforts, including public awareness efforts, to prevent introduction of invasive forest pests and pathogens.
• Detection and eradication programs, especially in family-owned woodlands, to minimize the impact of introduced species on forests and woodlands.
• Research and development programs aimed at both the public and private sector, with a robust scientific and genetic research effort, to ensure that invasive species response mechanisms can be developed and implemented in a timely manner.

Recent Actions

Endorsement of S. 1673, the Safeguarding American Agriculture Act of 2011
AFF joins others endorsing S. 1673, a bill intended to improve the agricultural inspection
process.

Tree and Wood Pests House Letter
Letter to House leaders, encouraging support for tree and wood pests programs.

Forest in the Farm Bill Recommendations
Protects funding for invasives control and research.

Learn More

1. More information is available in the AFF Board approved policy brief.  
2. You may also choose to visit the following websites:

• www.forestpests.org
• www.dontmovefirewood.com
• www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov