Aerial treatment operations- fixed wing aircraft applying pesticide over forest for Lymnatria dispar control. Courtesy photo from bugwood.org, USDA APHIS PPQ.
The Forest Health Protection staff of the USDA Forest Service has the responsibility of managing and coordinating the proper use of pesticides within the National Forest System (NFS). It is also responsible for providing technical advice and support, and for conducting training to maintain technical expertise.
Health & Safety
Pesticide Registration
Virus Products
Pesticide Use Risk Assessments & Worksheets
Mile-a-minute weevil (Rhinoncomimus latipes) on vine. Courtesy photo from bugwood.org, by Ellen Lake, University of Delaware.
The Biological Control program is tiered to the broader Forest Service's National Strategic Framework for Invasive Species Management as well as regional plans dealing with invasive species. The Biological Control program focuses its resources on a few insects and weed species that have the greatest potential for biological control.
Identify natural enemies for biological control of invasive species
Coordinate funding for biological control
Develop recommendations for the restoration of native plant species
Larva of the Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia psuedotsugata, on white fir. Courtesy photo from bugwood.org, by Donald Owen, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Biopesticides Program serves as an up-to-date information source on biopesticides, biologically based products such as semiochemicals and microbial agents, used by State and Private Forestry staffs, nationwide, for short-term control of invasive species.
Increase awareness on the use of biopesticides
Form partnerships and coordinate the development and implementation of biopesticides
Forest Health Protection works in coordination with the USDA Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) and others to develop, promote, and implement integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. IPM employs a variety of chemical, cultural, mechanical, and biological techniques and tools to prevent, detect, and thwart forestry pests, such as invasive weeds, insects and pathogens.
Pesticide Management
Biological Control
Biopesticides
Forest Health Protection works in coordination with the USDA Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) and others to develop, promote, and implement integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. IPM employs a variety of chemical, cultural, mechanical, and biological techniques and tools to prevent, detect, and thwart forestry pests, such as invasive weeds, insects and pathogens.
Pesticide Management
Biological Control
Biopesticides
The White Bat Plant is one of the world’s largest and most unusual flowers. It’s strange little black flowers come in clusters of twenty to forty and resemble bats’ faces while the white bracts above resemble bats’ ears. The Bat Plant can grow to anywhere between 60 and 90 centimetres tall and comes in both a black version and a white version. The whiskers of the flower will also grow quite long, sometimes reaching all the way to the ground. An interesting fact about this weird wonder is that despite its resemblance to the lily it is actually a member of the yam family!
