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Forests are complex ecosystems. They are constantly changing as a result of tree growth, variations in weather and climate, and disturbances from fire, pathogens, and other stressors. A huge number of insects and diseases have the potential to negatively affect tree species in the U.S. 

The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program produces annual national reports that present forest status and trends from a national perspective, introduce new techniques for analyzing forest health data, and summarize results from recently completed Evaluation Monitoring projects funded through the FHM national program.  The FHM tracks these ongoing changes — every year, across the nation — as a forest health check up. The annual reports contains short- and long-term forest health assessments for the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Users can search reports and chapters by year (from 2001) or topic. Highlights and additional resources are also included.

Includes first date of Asian longhorned tick detections by state, county, and host.
See also: Asian Longhorned Tick

The National Park Service (NPS) has finalized a long-term strategy to reduce the impacts and threats from invasive plants and to restore native plant communities and historic landscapes for 15 national park areas in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The Invasive Plant Management Plan will guide park staff in standardizing and streamlining their treatment of non-native invasive plants. The plan will also help the NPS identify areas with the most urgent needs in order to address the most immediate threats to park resources. Each of the 15 area parks will develop an annual non-native invasive plant treatment strategy that is based on science, is cost effective, and poses the least amount of risk to people and park resources.

The Plant Conservation Alliance, a coalition of federal agencies and their Tribal, state and non-governmental partners with the goal to protect and restore resilient native plant communities, released a five-year progress report detailing coordinated efforts to increase the pace, quality and scale of native seed development and use in restoration efforts across our Nation.

Resilient native plant communities protect America’s lands, mountains, streams, vulnerable coastal communities and infrastructure from the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. Native plants are key to a restoration economy that engages our next generation of farmers, conservation professionals, scientists and land managers.
See related resource: National Seed Strategy

Use this infographic resource to learn which pollinator -attractive plants are native to your region.

Hunting for natural enemies of the red imported fire ant is paying off for Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Their latest discovery — a new virus found in fire ants from Argentina — has the potential of becoming a biological control agent against the red imported fire ants infesting the U.S.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has developed a publicly available dashboard that displays the results from nation-wide avian influenza virus (AIV) monitoring in wild bird populations. Data presented in the dashboard can identify increased AIV risk and can provide information to poultry producers, wildlife managers, and members of the public on AIV activity in their area.
See related resource: Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance