Current activities

The Institute is currently part of the Steering Committee of the Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases. The Dialogue cultivates and catalyzes collaborative action among a diverse group of leaders in industry, universities, nonprofit groups, and state and municipal governments to abate the threat of forest pests and diseases. To date, there have been two national meetings resulting in the development of an action agenda. Actions under development include market-based strategies to encourage best management practices, communications and marketing approaches to raise public awareness, and legislative strategies to improve public policy.

Regional Need

Forests in the Great Lakes region cover more than 103 million acres. Forest products and related industries employ more than 503,000 people, and have an annual payroll exceeding $18.5 billion. Forests sustain biological diversity, provide clean air and water, and are part of the core foundation of our national heritage. However, non-native forest pests and pathogens, introduced to the Northeast-Midwest region as a byproduct of trade and transportation, have the potential to greatly impact our region’s forests. The consequences of these introductions include direct mortality of trees and increased vulnerability of our forests to other stresses. Over time, these changes can transform the forest’s structure and species composition, and compromise its ability to persist. Many pests and pathogens have already become established in the Great Lakes region to devastating effect. For example, the Asian Longhorned Beetle, native to China, has few natural enemies and attacks hardwood trees such as maple, elm, horse chestnut, ash, birch, poplar, and willow in many of the Northeast-Midwest region’s metropolitan areas, including Chicago and New York. The total value of trees at risk in these two cities alone is more than $3 billion. The chestnut blight, introduced more than 100 years ago, dominates the landscape in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan; the death of hemlocks due to hemlock woolly adelgid has caused considerable changes in the characteristics of nearby streams in the Appalachian Mountains; and the emerald ash borer now occupies large areas in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario, and has killed more than 20 million ash trees.

The problem is accelerating because we have not adapted our policies to reflect economic changes, particularly rising volumes and speed of trade. Because it’s a policy problem, and not purely a biology problem, we can solve it.

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