Joint NASA/USDA Workshop on Agricultural Decision Support Systems. 4-5 March 2003, Denver, CO

1. Needs in the Invasive Species Focus Area Joint NASA/USDA Workshop on Agricultural Decision Support Systems.4-5 March 2003, Denver, CO Chuck Lambert Deputy Under Secretary Marketing and Regulatory Programs USDA, Washington, DC

2. Invasive Species Context • Invasive species cost the USA $137 B/year–$500 for every person in the country. • Habitat of 2/3 of all threatened and endangered species is at risk from invasive species. • Invasive species present particular threats to agriculture, biological diversity, urban spaces, and integrity of natural areas.

3. Invasive Species Context • Invasive weeds cost $36.6 B annually; microbes, $34.2; mammals, $25.3; invertebrates, $23.4; birds, $2.1; fish, $1.0; and reptiles and amphibians, $0.56. • By 2010, invasive weed management could comprise the largest single natural resource line item in the Federal budget.

4. Invasive Species Context • Invasive weed species infest >100 million acres and increase 8-20% annually; • 3 million acres/year are lost to invasive weeds; • ~500/5,000 non-indigenous plants are pests;

5. USDA View of Invasive Species • Secretary Veneman views the prevention, exclusion, control/eradication, and management of invasive species as one of the biggest challenges we face as a nation.

6. USDA Invasive Species Background • USDA has been contending with invasive pest and plant species for decades. • The current USDA Invasive Species initiative responds to the Invasive Species Executive Order and continues to strengthen the Department's ongoing programs addressing problems caused by invasive species.

7. USDA Invasive Species Background • USDA is a co-chair in the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) and sits on all invasive species technical committees. • NISC has facilitated development of a National Invasive Species Management Plan, which highlights the key needs in this area.

8. USDA Lead Agencies • Agricultural Research Service (ARS). • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). • Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). • Farm Service Agency (FSA). • Forest Service (FS). • Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

9. Other USDA Agencies which Support the Invasive Species Effort • Economic Research Service (ERS). • Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). • Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). • Office of the Chief Economist/Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis (ORACBA).

10. Scope of USDA Invasive Species Effort: Prevention • Prevention is the first line of defense against invasive species. • The goal is to provide an integrated safeguarding system, to protect America’s agricultural and native resources. • Diverse tools and methods are needed to keep invaders from becoming established. • A risk-based approach will be employed to evaluate likelihood of establishment, spread and harm of a new invader. • There is no role for remote sensing in this area of invasive species.

11. Scope of USDA Invasive Species Effort: Early Detection and Rapid Response • If prevention fails, early detection of an invader is essential to developing a control plan. • Once detected, coordinated teams can eradicate the invader if possible, or at least contain its population to a manageable area. • An integrated pest management (IPM) strategy is employed for this purpose, using combinations of the available chemical, cultural, mechanical and biological strategies. • Since populations of invaders at this early stage of invasion are likely to be low, remote sensing is not likely to have a role in early detection and rapid response.

12. Scope of USDA Invasive Species Effort: Management • Invasive species that escape prevention, early detection and eradication/containment are extremely difficult and costly to manage. • Wide-spread eradication is generally not possible for established invaders. • IPM strategies are employed to suppress populations of the invader, to limit their spread, and to reduce their impacts. • The USDA policy is to employ biologically based IPM for established invaders, using host-specific natural enemies of the pest or cultural control measures, and integrating chemical or mechanical control where appropriate. • There is a significant and largely under-developed role for remote sensing in this phase, to detect presence of invaders by their damage.

13. Scope of USDA Invasive Species Effort: Monitoring andRestoration • Eradication and management strategies create gaps in populations of weeds. • Unless action is taken, these gaps are likely to be filled by other weeds. • Restoration of areas in which gaps are created by revegetation with desired species is a key activity in long-term integrated weed management. • There is a key, and again under-developed, role for remote sensing in the monitoring of management and restoration strategies.

14. Scope of USDA Invasive Species Effort: Other Activities • Research underpins every stage and strategy of the invasive species continuum, and USDA is increasing research in all aspects of invasive species. • International cooperation in prevention, exclusion, detection and early eradication, and management of invasive species is key to the long-term success of the program. • Information management and public education is important. USDA has established www.invasivespecies.gov to help deal with this issue. • Workshops, development of materials, awareness programs, and the media can help the public to appreciate invasive species (e.g., the snakehead issue in Maryland this year).

15. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • USDA is creating a National Plant and Disease Diagnostic Network made up of experts from universities.

16. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • USDA needs to know how remote sensing can help the Network efficiently detect and identify invasive pests so that appropriate action can be taken.

17. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • A key need for the country is the ability to delineate invasive weed, arthropod, pathogen and vertebrate populations.

18. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Weed examples include leafy spurge, melaleuca, salt cedar, yellow starthistle, giant salvinia, knapweeds and many others.

19. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Insect examples include Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, glassy winged sharpshooter, hemlock wooly adelgid and many others.

20. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Pathogen examples include sudden oak death, potato late blight and many others.

21. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Vertebrate examples include the ability to detect remotely birds at airports, big game surveys, and many others.

22. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Given the enormous range of land over which U.S. farms and food processing facilities are located, it is critical that we have the ability to detect, diagnose and respond to introductions.

23. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs Not all remote sensing needs are for pests: • detection of landscape damage to pest weeds from beneficial biological control agents, and post-treatment recovery, are key needs in IPM programs.

24. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs Not all remote sensing needs are for pests: • detection of area of forest by stand type, condition class, ownership, etc., is a key need for the Forest Service.

25. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • Remote sensing with GIS and other spatial databases that can help predict population changes and shifts to help manage the system.

26. USDA Invasive Species Remote Sensing Needs • The most important need is for the science of scale-up–how to go from prototype to large area detection.

27. Summary • The state-of-the-research in USDA pertaining to our invasive species remote sensing needs varies depending on the topic. • The management, monitoring and restoration phases need a much more significant remote sensing program.

28. Summary • We need the capability to detect invasive weed, arthropod, pathogen and vertebrate populations.

29. Summary • We also need the capability to detect damage to invasive weeds caused by beneficial biological control agents, and consequent changes in the weed populations.

30. Summary • There is a significant need to be able to detect aspects of forestry (stand type, condition, damage, species diversity, etc.).

31. Summary • The most important technological need is in the science of scale-up–how small-area detection can be expanded to large-area infestations.

32. Summary • USDA knows that we need to establish partnerships to increase our capacity in this area. • We welcome NASA as a key partner in these efforts.