i-Tree Streets

Pest Evaluation & Detection (beta) Module

Urban areas are frequently the first site of introduction for exotic pests, where they remain undetected until populations are well established and have had harmful impacts on the health of host trees. Many communities routinely complete and update tree inventories, but often overlook pest invasions because pest detection tools are not part of the inventory process. There are also no processes in place for aggregating pest inventory data into a standardized form, which would allow communities to analyze pest trends that are otherwise difficult to detect across geographic or political boundaries.

Project Goal

The goal of I-PED—Inventory - Pest Evaluation & Detection—is to develop, disseminate, implement, and establish an accepted, modern protocol for long-term national urban pest detection and monitoring

Development

Communities conduct urban tree inventories as part of ongoing efforts to better understand the structure, function and management needs of their urban forests. Developed to meet these needs, i-Tree was created to develop, disseminate, support and refine urban forest analysis tools and will be utilized as a platform for I-PED delivery. The release of i-Tree v3.0 includes a beta version of the pest detection protocol as part of the i-Tree Streets application.

The beta I-PED module in i-Tree Streets provides:

• A portable, accessible and standardized method of observing a tree for possible insect or disease problems.
• Integrated field data collection and desktop reporting tools.

Future I-PED developments will include:

• A national database repository that will enable pest specialists to access regional pest data to query for pest detection anomalies and trends at multiple scales.
• Extensive user support through a Wiki online IPED resources site, integration with established pest identification and reporting networks, and training.

The use of I-PED will:

• Increase and broaden efforts to detect exotic pests.
• Increase awareness of the need for routine tree health assessments.
• Provide a standardized method for integrating pest detection with urban forest management.
• Improve opportunities to control pests while invasions are still manageable.
• Reduce unchecked movement of pests across geographic and political boundaries.
• Reduce costs for long-term tree management, removal, and replacement.
• Provide a tool for integrating pest detection with more innovative, technologically advanced tree inventory and assessment tools.

Development Team

A project planning and development team is working to move this effort forward. Team subgroups are focusing on pest signs and symptoms, i-Tree integration and programming, pilot community involvement, research database development, and online resources. The team includes employees of several U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, including the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Forest Service Northern Research Station and the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry and Forest Health Protection Programs. Other team members represent the Society of Municipal Arborists, The Davey Institute, the University of Georgia Bugwood Network, Cornell University, National Plant Diagnostic Network, Purdue University, University of California, Davis, University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Vermont and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. The USDA Forest Service manages the project planning team.