Interpreting raw data from the IPED protocol

		Tools for Assessing and Managing Community Forests

Author: Joseph LaForest, University of Georgia

Introduction

As mentioned in the rationale for the Pest detection protocol, awareness of signs and symptoms that indicate potential tree health issues offers early opportunities for preventative actions and improved urban tree management. Each pest and disease produces signs and symptoms as they live their life cycle on their host. Many organisms have cryptic life cycles that keep them hidden for most of the year. Since you may not always see the organism causing the problem, the early identification of these signs and symptoms can help to discover new problems. The IPED development team has created a list of signs and symptoms that could possibly be found when an insect or disease is present on a tree. They have used that list in creation of the IPED protocol to let users know what to look for when assessing trees. By following the established protocol you can accurately list the signs and symptoms present on a tree.

What can I do with the raw data that I have collected using the pest detection protocol?

Looking at all of the raw data after you have performed a survey using the IPED protocol can be a little overwhelming. Using the data requires a bit of expert interpretation to know what sign and symptoms combination would be indicative of a particular pest or disease. Since this "expert opinion" may not be available locally, IPED development team has created the advanced reporting and the "IPED Key" to allow you to take a closer look at the signs and symptoms that were found and have it provide you with some potential identifications. You can then view images of the candidate causes, read factsheets to know more about what it may be, and find out what additional data may help to clarify what the organism could be.

The main purpose of looking at raw data is to help in determining which trees to inspect closer to see if a new pest has found its way into your urban forest. Once you have the possibilities narrowed to something that you think may be a problem and needs attention, it is time to find the experts that can verify the identity of the organism and then help you figure out what to do about it. These experts will need a list of trees to visit and perform a more detailed inspection.