Research Highlights

Summary

When a breeding population of an invasive species becomes established in a novel environment, management tools often focus on either eradication of the species or slowing its spread. In either situation, it is necessary to understand how the organism moves through the landscape, and translate that knowledge into an assessment of risk to the surrounding landscape. Here, Forest Service researchers used data collected by the Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Program, to identify patterns of spread around existing infestations using simple graph theory and show how this data can be customized to local infestations to prioritize surveys and manage risk on a hectare-by-hectare basis. The results show that Asian longhorned beetle spread within an infestation does not occur randomly, and that patterns of spread among infestations vary. This approach represents a new and valuable use of existing data, and highlights the utility of interagency and interdepartmental collaboration in addressing complex environmental challenges.

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