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See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species Fact Sheets for additional species information

Scientists and staff at the Agricultural Research Service have been studying Covid-19 for over a year-and-a-half to ensure that America’s agricultural system is safe. The aim of the research was to confirm that farm animals were not susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and remove potential concerns of farm animals becoming infected and transmitting the virus to people through direct contact or through agricultural products.

Every five years, Congress develops and passes a Farm Bill that outlines agriculture and food policy for the country. In the Farm Bill, Congress can create new programs and reform existing ones. In recent Farm Bills, Congress has created new USDA, APHIS programs that benefit the nation’s farmers and ranchers. Programs include those related to animal health, feral swine, pests and diseases of concern, and plant health.

Section 12203(b) of the 2018 Farm Bill required APHIS to develop a list of pests and diseases that pose the most significant threat to U.S. agriculture. 
See related resource: Animal and Plant Diseases and Pests of Concern

Sometimes reaching a height of more than 100 feet tall with trunk diameters often well over 10 feet, the American chestnut was the giant of the eastern U.S. forests. There were once billions of them and their range stretched from Georgia and Alabama to Michigan, but the majestic tree was gone before forest science existed to document its role in the ecosystem. Notes left by early foresters including Gifford Pinchot, the founder and first chief of the USDA Forest Service, suggest that its ecological role was as impressive as the tree's size. Mature American chestnuts have been virtually extinct for decades. The tree's demise started with something called ink disease in the early 1800s, which steadily killed chestnut in the southern portion of its range. The final blow happened at the turn of the 20th century when a disease called chestnut blight swept through Eastern forests. But, after decades of work breeding trees, The American Chestnut Foundation, a partner in the Forest Service's effort to restore the tree, is close to being able to make a blight-resistant American chestnut available.

The second annual National Pesticide Safety Education Month gets underway February 1st, to reinforce core principles of safe handling and use and to raise awareness of and support for the land-grant university Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs). Pesticide safety is a must, whether the applicator is an unlicensed homeowner or certified in one or more of the federal or state categories of use.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey have signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing their joint leadership of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a collaborative partnership focused on advancing bat conservation across North America. As co-leads of the NABat program, the two federal agencies will work to ensure the program remains sustainable and meets the needs of partners by providing coordination, technical assistance, data products and analyses that make it easier to apply bat monitoring data more effectively in support of conservation. For more information about the North American Bat Monitoring Program and opportunities to participate, please visit https://www.nabatmonitoring.org.

NABat was born out of the urgent need to monitor bat populations following the emergence of white-nose syndrome, a disease of hibernating bat species that appeared in New York in 2007 and has since spread across the continent. White-nose syndrome is considered one of the worst wildlife diseases in modern times, resulting in the loss of millions of bats across North America.

See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

The Office of Pest Management Policy is responsible for communicating across federal agencies to promote the development of pest management strategies that reduce the economic, environmental, and public health risks from pests as well as from the methods used to control them in agricultural and natural resource environments.

Building on information provided by federal agencies and an inspection of the US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations, this article reviews and identifies relevant authorities to determine federal legal capacities, gaps, and inconsistencies to address (Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR). Although the Plant Protection Act and the Animal Health Protection Act are comprehensive authorities that address the detection of and response to organisms that threaten plant and livestock health, there is no single authority that encompasses EDRR for all invasive species. Rather, there is a patchwork of authorities that unevenly addresses various aspects of EDRR. View Early Detection and Rapid Response for more information.
See related resource: Biological Invasions - Special Issue: Early Detection and Rapid Response for special issue on EDRR.