Handling new finds
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Tools for Assessing and Managing Community Forests | 
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Author: Joseph LaForest, University of Georgia
Introduction
Finding the proper person to identify an organism and determining the proper course of action after identification is made is dependent upon many factors including the potential for damage by the pest, the extent of the infestation, the biology of the organism, the availability of funding, and the distribution of the host. The National Plant Diagnostic Network has developed a protocol to handle the discovery of new pests and frequently runs simulations to test and improve the response. The information below will introduce you to the people who are involved in this process and provide some generic examples to show how the system works.
Who are the people involved and what is their role?
Local Resources
- Person with an unknown pest
- This is a person who has found a pest and does not know what it is. They may be a homeowner, land manager, First Detector, city employee who has been processing IPED Survey Data, crop consultants, growers, or anyone else who finds an organism damaging plant. This person is responsible for bringing this find to the attention of the Extension Agent for their locality.
- First Detectors
- These people are often associated with a commodity, geographic region (county, region of the state, etc.), or a combination of the two. They will be the one to provide the initial evaluation of the pest and will contact more knowledgeable authorities if necessary. Often, they can quickly identify many of the common or widely prevalent organisms that may be affecting a plant. They are the primary starting point for the vast majority of "finds". Several different people can serve the role of a First Detector.
- Extension agents
- These individuals are employed by the state land grant university. Their job is to serve as a link between researchers at the University and the public. They help to apply the scientific discoveries and information available at the university to solve problems in the community. Extension agents are often assigned to a specific commodity or interest group within the county or region. Since they are focused on a subject area withing the state, they are often familiar with the common pests and diseases that may be seen. They are also familiar with the relevant policies and protocols for diagnostic sample submission since they are typically part of the same land grant university that hosts the state diagnostic lab. USDA has a convenient agent finder site that links to the state listings for extension agents.
- Consulting arborists and Crop consultants
- These individuals have created private businesses focused on helping people find out what is going on with their plants. They often have quite a bit of expertise, they pay attention to the latest pest and disease news, and can be a valuable resource.
- Botanic Garden personnel
- If you are fortunate enough to have a Botanic Garden in your ares, you may have an unexpected resource. These organizations often employ a pest manager or other experts. As part of their work they keep up to date on various pest issues and may be willing to help especially since any pest the city finds may soon appear at the garden.
- Master Gardeners
- These individuals are often associated with the state extension service and have volunteered to learn more about various topics including pests and diseases of trees. They may help to identify some of the rare but native pests as well as identify some of the pests of concern that have been highlighted by the extension service.
- State Department of Agriculture Inspector
- State Departments of Agriculture have a wide range of expertise available. It is their job to know what is going on with agriculture in their state and what insects and diseases have are common, have been introduced, or have the potential to be introduced. This makes them an extremely valuable resource.
- A concerned citizen that has gone through First detector training
- There is a network of "citizen scientists" that have received training on various pests. The training helps them to notice the characteristic signs and symptoms associated with certain pests and diseases as well as how to collect a proper sample for submission to a diagnostic lab.
State Resources
- Plant Diagnosticians
- Plant Diagnosticians are highly trained individuals that serve as the expert to diagnose and identify damage agents at the state level. They are often housed at the land grant university but may also be housed at the state department of agriculture or joint facility. They will be able to identify many of the majority of pests found in the state and will contact more knowledgeable authorities if necessary.
- State Plant Regulatory Officer (SPRO)
- State Plant Regulatory Officials are members of the National Plant Board, oversee state level pest detection and regulatory activities and coordinate survey activities between government agencies, public and private sector organizations. SPROs coordinate the state's initial emergency response if an exotic pest is detected.
Federal Resources
- National Identifier
- National Identifiers are experts in a certain taxonomic group. It is there responsibility to confirm the identity of new finds and also identify other samples that could now be fully identified at the local or state level.
- State Plant Health Director (SPHD)
- State Plant Health Directors direct federal USDA APHIS-PPQ pest detection and regulatory activities in cooperation with state officials. SPHDs coordinate the initial PPQ emergency response if an exotic pest is detected in the state.
What happens when an identification is reached?
One of the leading factors that affects the level of the response to a pest depends on the nativity of the damage causing agent and whether or not the pest has been found before. The following examples show the process involved with organisms of varying nativity and distribution.
In the following examples:
- Red arrows indicate samples of unknown problems that are being sent for identification. These may be both physical samples or digital images.
- Black arrows indicate the flow of information back to the people who need it.
- Blue arrows indicate discussion between groups to determine the best action to take.
A Common, Native, or Widely Prevalent Pest
Many of the first detectors have extensive experience and can easily identify the common pest and disease problems found in the region. When these problems appear, they can often identify the causal agent and provide the person with information about the life cycle of the organism and recommendations on how to minimize it's impact on the health of the urban forest. With problems of this level, there is no reason to use resources beyond those available at the local level.
A Rare but Native or widely distributed pest
Although the local resources may be able to identify many of the common pests associated with the urban forest, there may be problems that rarely appear or may be outside of the expertise of the first detector. These samples are forwarded to the diagnostician at the land grant university. This person has many resources that were not available at the local level including diagnostic protocols, state experts, and other resources organized by the National Plant Diagnostic Network. Drawing from this, they can determine what the causal agent is and provide information back to the local level on the biology of the organism and how to manage it. After a diagnosis of the problem is made, local resources can help in making future identifications and management recommendations.
An introduced pest of limited distribution within the United States or a new exotic pest
Certain organisms have the potential to devastate the urban forest and cause widespread tree decline and death. Many of these organisms are introduced from other countries. When a diagnostician receives a sample that they suspect may be a new exotic agent or one that is of concern to the federal government, the diagnostician will send the sample to a National Identifier and notify the State Plant Regulatory Officer (SPRO) of a possible intoduction. If the National Identifier verifies the find, they notify the diagnostician, State Plant Regulatory officer(SPRO) and the State Plant Health Director(SPHD). The SPRO and the SPHD meet with scientific experts and determine the best options to control the infestation. Once a course of action is determined, they work with people at the local level to contain and deal with the new introduction.
An introduced pest of limited distribution within a state
Some plant damaging agents are not widely distributed across the country but have spread to the extent that the state takes responsibility for managing the organism. Generally, a state will have an ongoing slow-the-spread or eradication program to limit the impact of the organism. When a diagnostician detects one of these agents, they notify the State Plant Regulatory Officer who will then provide information on the states program so that the new infestation in the state can be dealt with as part of the larger state control program.
