USDA. FS. Northern Research Station.

The Alien Forest Pest Explorer (AFPE) is an interactive web tool which provides detailed spatial data describing pest distributions and host inventory estimates for damaging, non-indigenous forest insect and disease pathogens currently established in the U.S. The database is maintained as a joint effort of Purdue University, the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, and the U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection.

USDA. FS. Forest Health Protection. Southern Region.

View the updated regional infestation map for Laurel Wilt Disease (for initial detection in May 2002. Map is updated periodically (USDA,FS - Forest & Grassland Health).

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

USDA. FS. Southern Research Station. CompassLive.

Laurel wilt disease has been spreading through the U.S. since 2002 and is fatal to tree species in the laurel family. Forest Service researchers are continuing to monitor the disease, search for treatment methods, and develop a better understanding of how it is affecting sassafras and other susceptible species.

Georgia Forestry Commission.

Georgia Forestry Commission.

See also: Laurel Wilt Disease Associated with Redbay Ambrosia Beetle for more resources

USDA. Forest Service; Georgia Forestry Commission.

The Laurel Wilt Public Dashboard story map – a collaboration between the Georgia Forestry Commission, multiple branches of the Forest Service, and other state forestry agencies – shows the annual spread of the disease. The story map shows that new detections occur mostly in the Coastal Plain, not in the Appalachian mountains where sassafras reaches its greatest sizes.

USDA. ARS. Office of Pest Management.

The National Plant Disease Recovery System (NPDRS) is called for in Homeland Security Presidential Directive Number 9 (HSPD-9) which was issued in February of 2004. The purpose of the NPDRS is to ensure that the tools, infrastructure, communication networks, and capacity required to mitigate the impact of high consequence plant disease outbreaks are such that a reasonable level of crop production is maintained in the U.S.

These recovery plans are a cooperative effort of university, industry, and government scientists. The plans outline what the scientists know about the disease, indicate the current preparedness, suggest the best IPM approach, and recommend priority research and education needs.
See also: Disease Recovery Plans (~26 plans published, with more in process)

USDA. FS. Southern Research Station. CompassLive.

Since 2002, forests in the southeastern U.S. have struggled against a disease called laurel wilt. In 18 years, laurel wilt has spread to 11 southeastern states and killed hundreds of millions of trees. A review article by USDA Forest Service scientist Rabiu Olatinwo reflects on the origins and spread of laurel wilt throughout the last several years. Olatinwo, a research plant pathologist at the SRS, published this research with recently retired plant pathologist Stephen Fraedrich and research entomologist Bud Mayfield in the journal Forests.

USDA. FS. Southern Research Station. CompassLive.

Laurel wilt has devastated plants in the Lauraceae family – redbay, sassafras, pondberry, avocado, and others – since it was first detected in the southeastern U.S. around 2002. There is no widespread, effective treatment for laurel wilt. Genetics research is focused on learning more about the pathogen's genetic structure in order to improve detection methods and screening for possible resistance in Lauraceae host species. "We have developed genetic markers to describe the population of the pathogen in the U.S.," says USDA Forest Service plant pathologist Tyler Dreaden. "Knowing which genotypes to use contributes to a quicker, more cost-effective resistance screening process." Dreaden led a new study to shed light on the genetic structure of the pathogen and its reproductive strategy. The research team included Marc Hughes at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Randy Ploetz and Jason Smith at the University of Florida, and Adam Black, horticulture director of the Peckerwood Garden Conservation Foundation in Texas. Their findings were published in Forests.

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. North Carolina Forest Service.

Emerald ash borer, laurel wilt disease, thousand cankers disease, and the European gypsy moth are likely to be brought into North Carolina in or on firewood. The use of local firewood is an important factor in preventing the spread of potentially devastating invasive species to our state's forests. Please keep this in mind as you prepare for your outdoor recreation activities. See Forest Health Invasive Pest Maps for more information about pest monitoring.