Summary
Pest risk maps are vital tools to describe where exotic invasive species might arrive, establish, spread, or have unacceptable effects. They are an integral part of the Forest Service's strategic efforts to predict and prevent new invasions, yet, there is little scientific agreement on how such maps should be produced. NRS scientist Robert Venette and scientists from the Southern Research Station, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, North Carolina State University, University of Minnesota, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canadian Forest Service, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia), Lincoln University (New Zealand), and the Food and Environment Research Agency (United Kingdom) published ten recommendations to improve these maps in the May 2010 issue of BioScience. Better maps will give land/forest managers a more accurate picture of potential pest risks, enabling them to make better risk management decisions, such as where to conduct early detection surveys or whether to attempt eradication.
