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Thousand Cankers poses a serious threat to the health of black walnut trees. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Forest Service and K-State Research and Extension need your help to help stop the introduction, and to limit the spread, of this disease in Kansas. We are deeply concerned that if it reaches the native range of black walnuts in central and eastern Kansas, we may lose this tree in our urban and native forests.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) employees collaborate with many partners, cooperators, and stakeholders to protect plant health. To keep us on the leading edge, PPQ explores scientific frontiers, develops new plant protection methods, and makes critical advancements that safeguard our nation’s agricultural and natural resources while facilitating the safe global trade of agricultural products. These stories highlight some of their most successful and impactful programs and activities. 
See also: APHIS in Action for articles that tell stories how APHIS is tackling issues facing U.S agriculture and natural resources today

People ship and receive packages using express courier companies—like FedEx, UPS, DHL, and others—all the time. But when the package includes an agricultural item, things could get dangerous for U.S agriculture and natural resources.

“You should know what could be hitchhiking in or on those items—invasive plant and animal diseases and pests,” said Dr. Mark Davidson, Deputy Administrator of USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine. “Once these threats enter our country, they could harm our crops, livestock, and ecosystems. Left unchecked, they could devastate entire agricultural industries, eliminating jobs, threatening our food supply, and costing billions of dollars in losses and response costs.”

It is now illegal to sell, grow, or plant Callery pear (also known as Bradford pear) in Ohio because of its invasive qualities and likelihood to cause economic or environmental harm. There is no requirement for the removal of existing plants, but the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry encourages control and removal to benefit native forest ecosystems.