Monitoring

The National CAPS Committee will revise the National Pest Surveillance Guidelines when annually reviewing the policy, strategy, and performance of the CAPS program. The NCC also will approve annually a “Priority Pest List.” This list will include the Commodity and Taxonomic Survey Pests, as well as Pests of Economic and Environmental Importance (OPEP Prioritized List). The Priority Pest List will be based on input by PPQ, the States, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST), National Identification Services (NIS), and commodity organizations.

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.

Terrestrial invasive plants are expected to shift their ranges in response to changing climate. This tool provides lists of terrestrial invasive plants expected to expand their ranges into the chosen county or state with climate change by 2040-2060. Users can filter the list to species currently observed within a chosen geographic proximity to the focal county or state.

Includes invasive species by category for insects, diseases, plants, and animals.
See also: Invasive Species Status Report by Congressional District

How can eDNA support understanding and management of estuaries? Ten National Estuarine Research Reserves are helping answer that question.

This site was created with funding from the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) and DoD Legacy Resource Management Program. It's currently managed by Washington State University with a mix of content that was created by WSU for the site as well as eDNA resources contributed by the eDNA research community.

The Invaders of Texas Program is an innovative campaign whereby volunteer "citizen scientists" are trained to detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive species in their own local areas. That information is delivered into a statewide mapping database and to those who can do something about it. The premise is simple. The more trained eyes watching for invasive species, the better our chances of lessening or avoiding damage to our native landscape.

ForWarn is a satellite-based forest disturbance monitoring system for the conterminous United States. It delivers new forest change products every eight days and provides tools for attributing abnormalities to insects, disease, wildfire, storms, human development or unusual weather. Archived data provide disturbance tracking across all lands since 2000.

The Global Invasive Species Database aims to increase awareness about invasive alien species and to facilitate effective prevention and management activities. The database focuses on invasive alien species that threaten native biodiversity and covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants in all ecosystems. Species information is either supplied by or reviewed by expert contributors from around the world. Provides distribution, life history, and impacts data for invasive species.
See related resource: 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species

The National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation is a state-of-the art facility for advanced research providing expertise in DNA sequencing and environmental and forensic DNA sampling. Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be collected from bodies of water and offers great potential for monitoring and detecting species of interest. The Center is designed for cross-agency partnerships to provide cost-effective and reliable genetic and genomic data for species monitoring.

Launched in 2015, the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is a continental program that monitors bats at local and range-wide scales. NABat monitoring efforts focus on the 46 species of bats shared by Canada, the United States and Mexico. NABat provides reliable data to promote effective conservation and long-term viability of bat populations and is jointly led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Participating members include U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and other federal, state and provincial agencies in the U.S. and Canada, local and regional agencies, native Tribes, academic institutions, businesses and conservation organizations.

White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of northern long-eared, little brown and tri-colored bat populations in fewer than 10 years, according to a new study published in Conservation Biology.
See also: Summing Up NABat Successes (U.S. Forest Service, CompassLive - Aug 5, 2021)

The Southeast (SE) Bat Hub was created in summer 2022 to coordinate North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABAT) survey projects in the Southeastern states. The Hub provides services, updates, and content to assist the NABat efforts across the region.

Since 2006, white-nose syndrome (a fungal disease) has been infecting bat populations across the U.S. This disease has killed some species of bats, such as the tricolored bat and northern long-eared bats at alarming rates.
See also: The Southeast Bat Hub Coordinates NABat Monitoring Efforts in the Southeast (U.S. Forest Service, CompassLive - Dec 12, 2023)

The Southeast Early Detection Network (SEEDN) app brings the power of Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) to your smartphone. Now you can submit invasive species observations directly with your smartphone from the field. These reports are uploaded to EDDMapS and e-mailed directly to local and state verifiers for review. SEEDN is more than just a smartphone app; it is an integrated invasive species reporting and outreach campaign for the Southeastern United States that includes the app and the EDDMapS website.

A web application displaying visual and statistical summaries of nationwide habitat suitability models for manager identified invasive plant species. INHABIT is a dataset containing the potential distribution of 259 invasive terrestrial plant species across the contiguous U.S.

This project is one among a set of coordinated projects funded (wholly or partially) by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the US Department of the Interior to advance a nationally coordinated Early Detection and Rapid Response Framework.

Citation: Jarnevich, C.S., Engelstad, P., Williams, D.A., Shadwell, K.S., Reimer, C.J., Henderson, G.C., Prevéy, J.S., and Pearse, I.S., 2024, INHABIT species potential distribution across the contiguous United States (ver. 4.0, June 2024): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P14HNEJF.

Chapter 10 (pages 231-242) in open access book; see related resource: Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector

Inventory and monitoring programs and high-quality distribution data are needed to manage invasive species and to develop quantitative ecological, economic, and social impact assessments. Strong inventory and monitoring programs provide valuable insights that help direct efforts to prevent and contain invasive species. Understanding where to focus management efforts, in addition to educational outreach, is key to developing economically efficient and ecologically relevant programs.

Citation: Oswalt, Sonja; Oswalt, Chris; Crall, Alycia; Rabaglia, Robert; Schwartz, Michael K.; Kerns, Becky K. 2021. Inventory and Monitoring of Invasive Species. 2021. In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 231 - 242. Chapter 10.

Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species surveillance. It provides background information on the utility of eDNA for invasive species management and points to various examples of its use across federal and international programs.

Citation: Morisette, J., S. Burgiel, K. Brantley, et al. 2021. Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool. Management of Biological Invasions. 12(3): 747-775.

The Aquatic eDNAtlas Project supports effective conservation and management of freshwater biota during an era of rapid climate change, nonnative species invasions, and habitat loss. Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists have been at the forefront of investigating and applying eDNA sampling for aquatic species.

The eDNAtlas allows land managers, scientists, and the public to access results from samples collected from aquatic systems throughout the U.S. The eDNAtlas database contains results from thousands of sites.

APHIS created the webpage to make it easier for its customers to find critical information on pests and diseases of concern. With this tool, members of the public will have the information they need to report pests and diseases and together we can protect America’s agriculture and natural resources. This page lists all pest and disease programs managed by APHISas part of its mission to protect American agriculture and natural resources. Users can search by type (plant, animal), keyword (avian, fruit fly, cotton), or by the specific pest or disease (coconut rhinoceros beetle, brucellosis). You can also scroll through the page, which lists the pests and diseases alphabetically and includes a corresponding image.

See also: Quagga and Zebra Mussels for more information

The Flood and Storm Tracker (FaST) maps were created to help assess impacts on nonindigenous aquatic species distributions due to flooding associated with storms. Storm surge and flood events can assist expansion and distribution of nonindigenous aquatic species through connection of adjacent watersheds, backflow of water upstream of impoundments, increased downstream flow, and/or creation of freshwater bridges along coastal regions. These maps will help natural resource managers determine potential new locations for individual species, or to develop a watchlist of potential new species within a watershed.

Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) is a national program designed to determine the status, changes, and trends in indicators of forest condition on an annual basis. The FHM program uses data from ground plots and surveys, aerial surveys, and other biotic and abiotic data sources and develops analytical approaches to address forest health issues that affect the sustainability of forest ecosystems.

In 2016 NASS began to collect data on honey bee health and pollination costs. Provides reliable, up-to-date statistics help track honey bee mortality.

As non-native plant species numbers and populations have increased across parks within the Mediterranean Coast Network, the need to understand the distribution and patterns of dispersal of these species (changes in the number, diversity, spatial distribution, and density of these plants) has become extremely important for protecting native communities through eradication and restoration efforts.

Provides fact sheets, maps and collection information for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates occurring outside of their native range.

These maps were created to help assess impacts on nonindigenous aquatic species distributions due to flooding associated with storms. Storm surge and flood events can assist expansion and distribution of nonindigenous aquatic species through connection of adjacent watersheds, backflow of water upstream of impoundments, increased downstream flow, and/or creation of freshwater bridges along coastal regions. These maps will help natural resource managers determine potential new locations for individual species, or to develop a watchlist of potential new species within a watershed.

PestLens is APHIS-PPQ's phytosanitary early-warning system that collects and distributes new information on exotic plant pests and provides a web-based platform for documenting safeguarding decisions and resulting actions. A weekly e-mail notification is sent to PestLens subscribers.
Note: While PestLens was developed for PPQ, its audience now extends beyond PPQ to a wide range of international plant protection officials.

Under the authority of the Plant Protection Act Section 7721 (PPA 7721), APHIS provides up to $63 million annually to fund stakeholder projects submitted through the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program (PPDMDPP). The projects we fund represent critical needs and safeguard American agriculture and natural resources against invasive plant pests and diseases.  

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was charged with implementing Section 10007 initially part of the 2014 Farm Bill to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and the environment. Under the Farm Bill, APHIS provides funding to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, while working to safeguard the nursery production system. Every five years, Congress develops and passes a Farm Bill that outlines agriculture and food policy for the country.
See related resource: APHIS Programs Authorized by the Farm Bill

The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. The database includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information, species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plant symbols, plant growth data, plant materials information, plant links, references, and other plant information. The PLANTS database contains native and naturalized plants of the PLANTS Floristic Area (PFA), which consists of North America and all additional U.S. territories and protectorates.
Note: The Invasive/Noxious Weeds data in the previous PLANTS version were outdated and not migrated to the new PLANTS version (new site launched in Spring 2021). A new PLANTS Invasive/Noxious Weeds dataset has been developed and will be deployed to PLANTS in a later release.

READI-Net is a network of robotic environmental DNA samplers to enhance the early detection of aquatic biological threats.

Wildlife Services has offices in every State ready to support you in resolving your wildlife damage concerns. Contact your local office for information on wildlife damage management, technical assistance, and support for your management efforts.

Identifying the leading edge of an invasion can be difficult, especially when the invader is a native transplant, or if the invader is not well-known. This tool allows a user to upload a biological dataset collected anywhere in the conterminous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, or Island Territories to screen for occurrences of non-native and invasive aquatic species tracked by the NAS Database.

WHISPers, a Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnership event reporting system with current and historic information on wildlife morbidity or mortality events in North America. Events typically involve five or more sick or dead wild animals observed in the same general location and time period. This information is collected opportunistically and provided here by multiple State, Federal, and other agencies to enhance collective understanding of disease in wildlife populations.

The Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) is a Web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species distribution. The majority of invasive species reporting in the U.S. occurs through or in cooperation with EDDMapS.

See also: Surveying and Monitoring section for more resources

See also: AREF Resources for more resources

NAISMA’s minimum mapping standards for invasive weeds addressed the minimum base information necessary to compare and combine invasive weed maps across tribal, county, state/provincial, national, and even international borders.

See also:  eDNA for more information