PI: Songlin Fei (FNR); Co-PI: Nicole Kong (GIS, Libraries); Funding: US Forest Service, NSF, Purdue
Invasion of exotic pests can significantly alter the structure, function, and services of forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, large portions of the forest systems in the United States are impacted by invasive pests. There is a need for linking the pest invasion risks to forest hosts at local, regional, and continental scales to be incorporated into management plans to ensure the sustainability of U.S. forests and the vital ecosystem services they provide. The project team has facilitated the interactive visualization and efficient dissemination of pest invasion risk information to natural resource managers, policy makers, land owners and researchers through the creation of the Alien Forest Pest Explorer, a user-friendly platform that enables anyone to understand what pests trees in a specific area may face, how to identify them and how to protect them.