Federal Pest Prevention and Suppression

The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978, Section 8(b)(3), describes the authority for Forest Health Protection (FHP) to “plan, organize, direct and perform measures to prevent, retard, control or suppress incipient, potential, threatening, or emergency insect infestations and disease conditions affecting trees.” These activities are carried out in cooperation with the National Forests, other Federal agencies and Tribal governments.

The objective of pest prevention and suppression projects is to reduce the damage to forest and tree resources from outbreaks of insect and disease-causing pests. In recent years emphasis has broadened to include management and control of established non-native invasive forest and tree pests.

Suppression Project Priorities

Pest prevention and suppression priorities are established by the Washington Office and reflect National issues. The current priorities for funding are:

1. Protect threatened and endangered species habitat

2. Eradicate new exotic insect and disease infestations

3. Protect developed recreation sites or high valued trees

4. Protect adjacent private land

5. Protect native vegetation (forests & trees)

Forest Health Protection Activities

FHP provides a broad range of technical assistance to federal and tribal partners. As with the cooperative projects on state and private lands our specific objective is to provide a comprehensive program of pest prevention and suppression management support including assistance in developing effective organizational structures; training in the conduct of aerial and ground detection and evaluation procedures; contracting assistance; compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and relevant Executive Orders; aircraft calibration; and, pilot testing of new methods or materials (technology development), among other activities. FHP services to federal and tribal land managers are direct and hands on, and include the conduct of pretreatment surveys, project monitoring during treatments, and posttreatment evaluations to determine if treatment objectives are achieved. FHP activities on federal and Tribal lands are in many ways analogous to those services and activities provided by state forest health specialists on state and private lands.

FHP funding for insect and disease suppression projects on federal land is 100%, there is no cost share as in cooperative projects. Historically, the Southern Region has had a high percentage of our insect and disease suppression and prevention requests fully funded on National Forest land. Funding to USDI and DOD for pest suppression projects was made directly by the Washington Office to those agencies with approved projects.

SPB, gypsy moth, and HWA are the primary pests on NFS lands in Region 8 which receive prevention and/or suppression funding. The table below gives a breakdown of funding by pest over the past 5 years. The dollars are listed in thousands.

*includes “fire return” dollars

Updated: February 2010

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USDA Forest Service - Forest Health Protection, Southern Region
Last Modified: Monday, 14 January 2013 at 09:38:24 EST