Protocols for Responding to Invasive Pests in the West

   
 

This signature program will promote collaboration across state and organizational boundaries to respond to priority invasive species challenges. Successful invasive pest responses require a well-orchestrated effort from planning through mitigation that should include integrated pest management researchers, extension specialists and practitioners. Once an invasive pest has established, an updated IPM program becomes a key to recovery as IPM practices help manage the newly established species with minimal detrimental impacts. The Invasive Pest program is designed to improve the integration of IPM into the response continuum. The program brings together interested partners in the West – including federal, regional, state and local entities – to address invasive insects, plants and plant pathogens, and to plan coordinated responses to emerging threats.

  

Milestones

• The committee will identify federal, state and local partners and IPM practitioners who should be part of work groups to address key knowledge gaps that must be addressed to build a modified IPM program to address specific new threats.
   
• The Center will identify commonalities in work group composition that may be sufficiently generalizable to be included as part of the IPM Invasive Species Toolkit – a joint project among the four regional IPM centers.
   
• The committee will strengthen the Regional IPM Centers’ connections to groups and initiative focused on invasive species such as the Public Gardens as Sentinels Against Invasive Plants (North Central IPM Center work group), North American Invasive Species Management Association, and others.
   

The Center will assemble a multi-disciplinary Invasive Pest Committee to identify priority invasive pests in the West. The committee will include representatives from our federal partner agencies and committees such as USDA-APHIS and the Federal IPM Coordinating Committee, representatives from Western Governors Association, regional partners (Western Plant Diagnostic Network, IR-4, Western SARE) and state partners (departments of agriculture, invasive species councils, IPM programs). Regular meetings of the committee will be held (virtual and in-person) to discuss proposed invasive species priorities and develop work groups. The Center will also continue to partner with the three Regional IPM Centers on the development of the invasive species toolkit and production of Pest Alerts.

  

Fostering Sustainability

As the working groups develop and identify knowledge gaps and needed research, the teams will develop proposals for funding from state, regional and national partners. Once the toolkit is developed, the Southern IPM Center will be able to host it through the technology supplement.