Invasive Forest Pests: Recent Infestations and Continued
Vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry Place U.S. Forests at Risk
(21-JUN-06, GAO-06-871T).
Invasive forest pests have seriously harmed our environment and
imposed significant costs on our economy. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is the lead agency for responding to forest
pests and coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) to prevent pests from entering the country. GAO issued two
reports in 2006 on these programs. This testimony describes (1)
the status of USDA's efforts to eradicate the Asian longhorned
beetle, emerald ash borer, and Phytophthora ramorum; (2) the
factors affecting the success of those eradication efforts; and
(3) areas of continued vulnerability in regard to preventing the
arrival and spread of forest pests.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-06-871T
ACCNO: A55779
TITLE: Invasive Forest Pests: Recent Infestations and Continued
Vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry Place U.S. Forests at Risk
DATE: 06/21/2006
SUBJECT: Agricultural pests
Forest conservation
Forest health
Forest management
Insects
Interagency relations
Invasive species
Pest control
Program evaluation
Program management
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GAO-06-871T
* Summary
* Background
* Eradicating the Asian Longhorned Beetle Appears Likely, Whil
* Many Factors Affect the Success of Eradication Efforts
* Species Biology
* Quarantines
* Detection and Control Technologies
* Funding Levels
* Other Areas of Continued Vulnerability in Regard to Preventi
* Monitoring of Urban and Other High-Risk Locations
* Port Inspections
* GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
* GAO's Mission
* Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony
* Order by Mail or Phone
* To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs
* Congressional Relations
* Public Affairs
Testimony
Before the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, Committee on
Resources, House of Representatives
United States Government Accountability Office
GAO
For Release on Delivery Expected at 4:00 p.m. EDT
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
INVASIVE FOREST PESTS
Recent Infestations and Continued Vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry Place
U.S. Forests at Risk
Statement of Daniel Bertoni, Acting Director Natural Resources and
Environment
GAO-06-871T
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am pleased to be here today to discuss federal efforts to prevent the
introduction of agricultural pests into the United States and to control
and eradicate pests once they have entered. As you know, our public and
private forests provide enormous value to the nation in the form of raw
materials for building supplies and fuel, natural resources for wildlife
habitat, air and water purification, and opportunities for recreation. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for protecting the
health of the nation's forests from harmful pests. The Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Forest Service are USDA's lead
agencies in this regard, and they often work with other federal, state,
and local agencies to manage and eradicate invasive species infestations.
In addition, USDA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coordinate
port inspection programs intended to prevent the entry of new agricultural
pests, including those that threaten forest resources.
Forest pests can have substantial impacts on our environment and economy,
costing society billions of dollars in lost revenue and restoration
expenses. When forest pests kill trees, they reduce the value of
timberlands and residential property, harm businesses, increase the risk
of wildfire, degrade ecosystems, and place upon homeowners and local
governments the costly burden of removing dead trees before they become a
safety hazard. Hundreds of nonnative invasive insect and pathogen species
have already infested our nation's forests, resulting in huge losses of
native tree species. Furthermore, because of the large number of visitors
and enormous volume of foreign cargo that arrive in the United States
every day, there is the potential that other pests may pass through our
borders and cause further damage.
My testimony today is based on two recent GAO reports. The first is a
report we provided to the full committee in April on three serious forest
pests-the Asian longhorned beetle; the emerald ash borer; and Phytophthora
ramorum, the pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death-and other matters
relating to forest monitoring.1 The second is a May 2006 report provided
to congressional requesters that reviewed the transfer of agricultural
inspection activities at ports of entry from USDA to DHS and how this
transfer has affected the inspection program.2 Drawing from those reports,
my testimony will discuss: (1) the status of USDA's efforts to eradicate
the Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, and P. ramorum; (2) the
factors affecting the success of those eradication efforts; and (3) areas
of continued vulnerability in regard to preventing the arrival and spread
of forest pests.
1GAO, Invasive Forest Pests: Lessons Learned from Three Recent
Infestations May Aid in Managing Future Efforts, GAO-06-353 (Washington,
D.C.: April 21, 2006).
Summary
In summary, efforts to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle appear likely
to succeed, while efforts against the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum do
not. The Asian longhorned beetle infests localized areas in Illinois, New
Jersey, and New York, and program managers are optimistic that the pest
can be eradicated from the United States. In contrast, the emerald ash
borer and P. ramorum infest much more extensive areas-40,000 and 19,000
square miles in the Midwest and on the West Coast, respectively. Program
managers do not believe these pests can be eradicated from the natural
environment because of the size of the areas that are already infested and
thus have set containment goals for the pest management programs. The
impact of these two infestations could reach tens of billions of dollars
in damages.
The success of federal efforts to eradicate these pests has been affected
by several factors. First, the unique biological characteristics of each
species greatly influence the ability to effectively control them. For
example, the Asian longhorned beetle is a large, conspicuous bug that does
not fly far from the core infestation, while the other two species are
more insidious and can spread more rapidly and over greater distances.
Second, quarantines have helped contain the spread of the pests, but
implementation and enforcement have been difficult. Each of these pests
can be transported inadvertently by virtually anyone through activities as
seemingly benign as moving firewood to a vacation home; educating the
public about the quarantines and enforcing them are daunting tasks. Third,
the only available method for eradicating these pests is to destroy
infested trees and plants-an obviously costly and sometimes impractical
approach when needed over large areas. Lastly-a problem faced by many
government programs-according to program managers, funding has not been
sufficient to fully implement the pest management programs. Although USDA
has spent over $420 million to control these pests, a decline in recent
funding levels will likely result in a longer time frame for eradicating
the Asian longhorned beetle, and current funding may be inadequate to even
contain the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum. With respect to program
funding, we also found that USDA had not adequately prepared management
plans that account for the extent of the current infestations, long-term
funding needs, and the implications of known or anticipated funding levels
on the schedule for control activities. We believe that better management
plans would provide decision makers at the state and national levels with
important information about the short- and long-term costs associated with
pest management programs. Accordingly, we recommended that the Secretary
of Agriculture routinely prepare and update pest management plans with
such information.
2GAO, Homeland Security: Management and Coordination Problems Increase the
Vulnerability of U.S. Agriculture to Foreign Pests and Disease, GAO-06-644
(Washington, D.C.: May 19, 2006).
In our reports on forest pests and the coordination of agricultural
inspections, we identified areas of vulnerability that we believe increase
the risk of future forest pest infestations. With regard to the three
forest pests we reviewed, we found that delays in detecting the presence
of the pests in the United States allowed them to become established in
the environment before control programs began. For example, while the
Asian longhorned beetle was detected at several ports, no additional
monitoring was done to determine whether the pest had entered the natural
environment; had such monitoring been done, the pest might have been more
easily and quickly eradicated, and the cost to do so may have been
considerably less. USDA has taken steps in recent years to expand some of
its forest monitoring programs. However, the programs still do not
adequately cover urban areas and other locations at high risk of receiving
infested cargo. To help detect forest pests, we recommended that the
Secretary of Agriculture expand current efforts to monitor forest health
conditions, particularly in urban areas that are at high risk of receiving
invasive insects and diseases. While timely detection of potentially
harmful pests in the environment is important, preventing their entry into
the United States is the first line of defense. However, in our report on
USDA and DHS coordination of port inspections, we identified several
problems that raise questions about the ability of the agencies to
effectively protect the United States against forest pests and other
harmful organisms. First, we found that less than one-quarter of
agricultural specialists conducting inspections routinely receive urgent
alerts about potential agricultural threats in a timely manner. Second, we
found that the agencies did not have staff assigned to ports and other
inspection locations on the basis of an assessment of the potential
vulnerability of those locations to the arrival of new, potentially
harmful pests. Finally, DHS has allowed the number and proficiency of
agricultural canine units-which are used to target passengers and cargo
for agricultural inspections-to decline. We made several recommendations
to USDA and DHS to address these and other deficiencies to strengthen the
programs intended to prevent the entry of harmful agricultural pests into
the country.
Background
The impact of invasive species in the United States is widespread, and
their consequences for the economy and the environment are profound.3
Invasive species are nonnative plants, animals, and microorganisms
intentionally or unintentionally brought into a new environment. Once in
that new location, these species may be able to crowd out native species,
multiply at a rapid rate, and spread to other locations. These invaders
can also affect people's livelihoods and pose a significant risk to
industries such as agriculture, ranching, and fishing. The cost to control
invasive species and the cost of the damages they inflict are estimated at
billions of dollars annually.
With respect to our nation's forests, the history of harmful invasive
species is long. For example, starting in the early 1800s, American
chestnut trees were devastated by a succession of two nonnative
pathogens-ink disease and chestnut blight. Chestnut trees were a major
component of the nation's deciduous forests, were valuable to wildlife,
and had wide use as a source of lumber. Today, chestnut trees still
survive in much of their former range, but only as sprouts from the old
root systems. The gypsy moth is another serious invasive forest species
that continues to harm our nation's forests more than 130 years after its
accidental release by an amateur entomologist studying silkworms.
Each of the three forest pests we reviewed in our April report likely
entered our country in the last 20 years. The Asian longhorned beetle
likely entered in the mid-1980s, currently infests areas in Illinois, New
Jersey, and New York, and affects hardwood trees such as maple and elm.
The emerald ash borer likely entered the United States in the early 1990s
and infests about 40,000 square miles in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and some
parts of Canada. A small infestation was confirmed just last week in
Illinois. The borer affects all 16 species of North American ash trees. It
is thought that the pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death, P. ramorum,
entered the country as early as the mid-1990s, although how it arrived is
unknown. Of the three pests we reviewed, P. ramorum affects the widest
range of species, including various species of oak and ornamental plants
such as rhododendrons and camellias. The pathogen has affected more than
19,000 square miles in California and one county in southwestern Oregon.
Together, according to USDA, these forest pests have the potential to
cause the loss of trees valued at trillions of dollars.
3GAO, Invasive Species: Cooperation and Coordination Are Important for
Effective Management of Invasive Weeds, GAO-05-185 (Washington, D.C.: Feb.
25, 2005); and Invasive Species: Clearer Focus and Greater Commitment
Needed to Effectively Manage the Problem, GAO-03-1 (Washington, D.C.: Oct.
22, 2002).
APHIS is the lead federal agency responsible for responding to insects and
diseases that have entered the country and that might harm U.S.
agriculture. APHIS conducts detection surveys, issues quarantines, directs
eradication efforts such as removing infested trees or applying
pesticides, develops control technologies, and performs public outreach.
The Forest Service-which has federal responsibility for protecting the
nation's forests-conducts surveys and research and undertakes
reforestation of areas affected by pests. DHS plays a critical role in
protecting agricultural interests-including the nation's forests-by
coordinating activities with USDA designed to keep pests out of the
country. DHS inspects ships, airplanes, vehicles, cargo, and passengers
and their baggage for prohibited agricultural materials that may serve as
carriers for pests and disease. USDA conducted agricultural inspections in
the past, but the Homeland Security Act of 2002 transferred this function,
among others, to DHS.4 Funding for pest management activities comes
through annual appropriations and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC),
which is a government-owned entity that finances farm commodity,
conservation, and trade programs and provides funding for
agricultural-related emergencies.5 The Secretary may transfer funds from
the CCC (or other available USDA appropriations) for the arrest, control,
eradication, and prevention of the spread of a plant pest and related
expenses.
State agencies also play an important role in managing invasive species.
For example, state agencies impose quarantines to prevent the movement of
infested materials within their state and take actions to eradicate pests.
Working with APHIS, state agencies also monitor for specific plant pests,
including some that have already arrived in the country and others that
have not but are believed to pose a threat. In addition, APHIS and the
Forest Service enter into cooperative agreements with states to jointly
carry out eradication programs and provide funding assistance for these
programs.
4Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
5The corporation has the authority to borrow up to $30 billion. The
borrowed funds are repaid through periodic congressional appropriations.
Eradicating the Asian Longhorned Beetle Appears Likely, While Success on the
Emerald Ash Borer and P. ramorum Is Less Promising
Evidence suggests that the Asian longhorned beetle will be eradicated,
while the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum are likely to continue to
infest and damage forest ecosystems indefinitely, despite efforts to
control them.
o Asian longhorned beetle: Efforts to eradicate the Asian
longhorned beetle appear likely to succeed in New Jersey, New
York, and Illinois. Over 8,000 trees infested with the beetle have
been removed, and over 600,000 trees have been chemically treated
to protect against beetle infestations. As a result of these and
other actions, federal and state agencies have been able to reduce
the size of the infested areas. APHIS's current goals for Illinois
and New Jersey are to confirm eradication and end the management
programs in 2008 and 2012, respectively. The current goal for
declaring eradication in New York is 2021.
o Emerald ash borer: In contrast, we reported in April that it is
unlikely that the emerald ash borer can be eradicated in the
United States. Its small size, inconspicuous habits, and flight
capabilities have aided the spread of the borer. In addition,
human activities, such as moving infested firewood, have amplified
the natural spread of the insect. Current management goals call
for eradicating the borer in Indiana and Ohio and containing it in
Michigan, which has the most extensive infestations. The pest has
killed an estimated 15 million trees. USDA estimated that the cost
of removing and replacing dead ash trees in urban and suburban
areas could reach $7 billion over a 25-year period.
o P. ramorum: Similar to the borer, it is unlikely that P.
ramorum can be eradicated in the United States. Managing the
pathogen is difficult given the size of the infestation and the
many ways it can be spread-through movement of plant material,
soil on car tires, and possibly even fog. APHIS and state agencies
have attempted to eradicate the pathogen from forests in only a
few situations where the infestations were relatively small, such
as in Curry County, Oregon. While seemingly impossible to
eradicate from the natural environment, APHIS and state agencies
are hoping to eradicate the pathogen from nurseries to reduce the
risk that infected ornamental plants will spread the pathogen to
other locations in the country. P. ramorum has killed tens of
thousands of trees and led to the destruction of over 1 million
nursery plants. These trees and plants were worth millions of
dollars in ornamental, timber, wildlife, and environmental value.
Many Factors Affect the Success of Eradication Efforts
The success of efforts to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle, the
emerald ash borer, and P. ramorum has been affected by factors relating to
species biology, quarantines, detection and control technologies, and
funding.
Species Biology
Specific biological characteristics of each of the three pests greatly
influence the potential success of eradication efforts. The Asian
longhorned beetle is a large, conspicuous bug that does not fly far from
the core infestation. As a result, it is fairly noticeable and does not
spread quickly, making it easier to detect and control. Conversely, the
emerald ash borer and P. ramorum are more insidious and can spread over
greater distances and more rapidly, making control efforts more difficult.
Quarantines
Officials involved with all three pests believe that the use of
quarantines has helped to reduce the spread of the pests but we observed
that implementing quarantines can be difficult. Quarantines help limit the
spread of an invasive species by regulating the movement of potentially
infested materials-such as firewood, nursery plants, and wood debris.
However, the effectiveness of quarantines is limited by the prevailing
knowledge about how the pest spreads and about the extent of its
infestation. Since the Asian longhorned beetle infestations were
relatively small, identifying the geographic boundaries for quarantines
was fairly easy. In contrast, the boundaries for the quarantines for the
borer were revised several times in response to information that indicated
the infestations were much larger than originally thought. As a result of
the incorrect quarantine boundaries, there was a greater risk that people
would move infested material to unaffected locations. Similarly, the
quarantines for P. ramorum had to be revised after learning that a nursery
outside the quarantined area had become infested and had shipped plants to
at least 22 states.
The success of quarantines can also depend heavily on effectively
educating the public about the ways in which pests can be spread. For each
of the three forest pest species we reviewed, certain normally harmless
actions-such as moving firewood or tracking soil in hiking boots-can
result in transporting the pests to new locations. Because nearly any
individual can engage in such actions, including residents traveling to
campgrounds or vacation homes and small firewood dealers, it is hard to
define and reach target audiences with information about quarantines and
enforcement efforts. Educating the public about activities that could
spread the pests and then enforcing compliance with quarantines are thus
daunting tasks. While stakeholders believe that outreach efforts by the
three pest management programs have helped educate the public about the
dangers of individual actions, all it takes is one piece of infested
firewood or contaminated soil to start a potential infestation.
Detection and Control Technologies
Successful control and eradication of the three forest pests we reviewed
have been constrained by a lack of cost-effective tools for detecting and
eliminating the pests. Detection methods for the three pests consist
largely of visual observations, and in the case of P. ramorum, costly
laboratory diagnostics. Such methods are not always effective and, given
the size of the infestations, are resource intensive and time consuming.
Research is ongoing into various technologies to develop better detection
capabilities, such as chemical lures for the beetle and borer.
Eradication methods are similarly limited.6 Currently, the only option is
to destroy the infested tree or plant material as well as nearby trees and
plants suspected of being infested, usually by cutting, chipping, or
burning. This approach has been used to eradicate infestations of the
Asian longhorned beetle. Although we refer to the beetle's infestations as
"relatively small," over 8,000 infested trees have been removed. Such
efforts, however, are not practical given the size of the infestations of
emerald ash borer and P. ramorum. As a result, managers have used
selective removal of trees infested with the emerald ash borer and P.
ramorum to eradicate small outlying infestations. Trees are also being
removed along the perimeter of large emerald ash borer infestations in
hopes of containing them. The most extensive eradication efforts for P.
ramorum are occurring in nurseries for plants that are infested or
suspected of being infested; these are routinely destroyed according to
quarantine regulations. Although removal of trees with emerald ash borer
and P. ramorum has been selective, hundreds of thousands of infested or
potentially infested trees have been destroyed. Unfortunately, there are
no chemical or biological treatments available to effectively kill the
pests on a broad scale, although research is ongoing to develop methods of
killing these pests without requiring the removal and destruction of
infested trees and plants. Preventive chemical treatments have been used
extensively for the Asian longhorned beetle-over 600,000 trees have been
treated-but only to a limited extent for the other two pests and primarily
by home owners to protect valuable landscape trees.
6By eradication, we mean the actual killing of pests that are infesting
trees and plants. We recognize that there are other important components
of a management program, including surveys, quarantines, preventive
treatments, and public outreach, that may help reduce the spread of pests.
Funding Levels
The federal government has provided over $420 million for programs to
control the three infestations we reviewed, primarily through the CCC fund
and appropriations to APHIS's emerging plant pest program. States have
also provided funding for management actions, although it has generally
been less than the federal investment. However, program officials involved
with managing the three pests told us either that funding has not been
what was needed or that they are concerned about the prospects for
maintaining existing efforts in light of funding constraints. Some
management officials also noted that the unpredictable timing of funding,
particularly the transfers from the CCC fund, hamper their ability to plan
and implement control activities.
Over the years, USDA has allocated about $249 million to control the Asian
longhorned beetle, $112 million for the emerald ash borer, and $61 million
for P. ramorum.7 For the beetle and borer, program managers told us that
funding shortfalls will limit the control and eradication actions that can
be taken. We reported in April that funding reductions for the beetle
during fiscal years 2002 and 2003 resulted in moving the target date for
completing the eradication program from 2009 to 2014, but current funding
levels placed that date in question. In June 2006, APHIS issued a revised
strategic plan that projected a completion date in New York of 2021. For
the emerald ash borer, state officials in Michigan and Ohio have announced
that programs for removing trees in infested areas have been significantly
reduced because of a lack of federal funding. Nearly all stakeholders we
interviewed regarding P. ramorum raised concerns that funding has not been
adequate to contain the pathogen.
7Funding for the Asian longhorned beetle program began in fiscal year
1997, for the P. ramorum program in fiscal year 2000, and for the emerald
ash borer program in fiscal year 2002.
Related to funding concerns, we found that timely updates to pest
management plans for the three species have not always been available to
provide decision makers and the public with current information about how
recent developments-including funding reductions-will affect the prospects
for success of the containment and eradication of these pests. We
recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture prepare, publish, and
regularly update management plans for pests for which the department has
initiated a management program. The plans and their updates should
incorporate and describe changes in the extent of the infestations,
progress to date in control and eradication efforts, and long-term funding
needs.
Other Areas of Continued Vulnerability in Regard to Preventing the Arrival and
Spread of Pests
In our work on the three forest pests and, more broadly, the coordination
between USDA and DHS on invasive species prevention activities, we found
vulnerabilities that we believe should be addressed to reduce the risk
that new forest pests will arrive and spread. These vulnerabilities
involve USDA's overall forest health monitoring program and USDA's and
DHS's management of port inspections.
Monitoring of Urban and Other High-Risk Locations
Many forest pests, including at least two of the three we reviewed, were
first introduced in urbanized environments. Urban areas are at high risk
because they are common destinations for cargo and travelers that might be
transporting pests. With the three pests we examined, as well as others,
we have seen that delays in detection and identification allowed them to
become established and spread before control efforts could begin. USDA has
recognized the need to conduct more monitoring and has increased the level
of resources devoted to monitoring for new forest pests. However, those
efforts have been limited in scope, as illustrated by the following:
o The Forest Service's bark beetle survey was started in 2001.
The program has placed traps on a temporary basis at more than 300
high-risk sites around the country, including in urban forests.
While this program has demonstrated that it can detect new pest
species, we found that it does not comprehensively cover high-risk
sites and that it focuses on a limited set of insect species. The
Forest Service told us that the agency was considering expanding
the program.
o The Forest Service initiated a pilot project in several states
to improve urban forest health monitoring in 1999. The project has
two components. The first seeks to extend the agency's normal
forest sampling program, which traditionally has not sufficiently
sampled urban forests. The second component seeks to implement a
roadside tree assessment using plots established within public
rights-of-way in urban areas. To date, the agency has implemented
pilot projects in Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Since only seven states were
covered by this pilot, systematic monitoring of urban areas is
still not adequate. According to the director of the agency's
Urban and Community Forestry Program, there is a strong case to be
made for expanding monitoring to cover urban areas that are now
classified as nonforest but that have trees and are at risk from
such pests as the emerald ash borer.
As a result of the limited nature of these and other USDA
monitoring efforts, there are still many high-risk locations that
are not adequately covered. To reduce these risks, we recommended
that the Secretary of Agriculture expand current efforts to
monitor forest health conditions, particularly in urban and
suburban areas that are at high risk of receiving invasive insects
and diseases. In response to this recommendation, USDA noted that
other governmental and nongovernmental organizations have a role
to play in combating invasive species, including monitoring. We
agree that other entities have that role, but also believe that
USDA has an important leadership role to play in developing and
supporting the forest health monitoring capabilities of nonfederal
entities.
Port Inspections
The infestations of the three species we reviewed, as well as
others, began when the pests passed through U.S. ports of entry,
hitchhiking in vehicles, cargo, or travelers' personal belongings.
That pests have become established indicates that the first line
of defense at the border has been breeched over the years. In May
2006, we reported that DHS and USDA face management and
coordination problems that increase the vulnerability of the
United States to foreign pests and disease. For example, we found
that DHS has not developed or used a risk-based staffing model to
ensure that adequate numbers of agricultural inspectors are
staffed to ports and other areas of greatest vulnerability. In
addition, despite an interagency agreement intended to facilitate
coordination and communication between DHS and USDA, agricultural
specialists are not consistently receiving notifications of
changes to inspection policies and urgent inspection alerts. For
example, we estimated that 20 percent of agricultural specialists
do not regularly receive notices that policy manuals have been
updated, and only 21 percent of agriculture specialists always
receive urgent inspection alerts in a timely manner. These
breakdowns in communication could hamper inspectors' ability to
search for and detect new pest threats. We also found that DHS has
allowed its canine detection program (dogs trained to sniff out
items that may harbor pests) to deteriorate. The number and
proficiency of canine teams has decreased substantially over the
last several years. This limits the essential contributions these
dogs can make to prevent the entry of prohibited agricultural
items.
We made several recommendations to address these deficiencies that
we believe would help reduce the likelihood that new pests will
enter the country. For example, we recommended that the agencies
establish a process to identify and assess the major risks posed
by foreign pests and disease, and develop and implement a national
staffing model to ensure that staffing levels at each port are
sufficient to meet those risks. We also recommended that USDA and
DHS ensure that urgent inspection alerts and other information
essential to safeguarding U.S. agriculture are more effectively
shared between the departments and transmitted to DHS agriculture
specialists in the ports. In addition, we recommended that the
agencies improve the effectiveness of the canine program by
reviewing policies and procedures regarding training and staffing
of canines and ensure that these policies and procedures are
followed in the port. USDA and DHS generally agreed with the
report's recommendations and noted that various initiatives are
either planned or underway to address them.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be
happy to answer any questions that you or other Members of the
Committee may have.
GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
For further information about this testimony, please contact me at
(202) 512-3841 or [email protected]. Trish McClure, Ross Campbell,
and Terry Horner made key contributions to this statement.
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www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt? GAO-06-871T .
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Highlights of GAO-06-871T , a testimony before the Subcommittee on Forests
and Forest Health, Committee on Resources, House of Representatives
June 21, 2006
INVASIVE FOREST PESTS
Recent Infestations and Continued Vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry Place
U.S. Forests at Risk
Invasive forest pests have seriously harmed our environment and imposed
significant costs on our economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) is the lead agency for responding to forest pests and coordinates
with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent pests from
entering the country. GAO issued two reports in 2006 on these programs.
This testimony describes (1) the status of USDA's efforts to eradicate the
Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, and Phytophthora ramorum; (2)
the factors affecting the success of those eradication efforts; and (3)
areas of continued vulnerability in regard to preventing the arrival and
spread of forest pests.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommended in its report on forest pests that USDA (1) expand efforts
to monitor forest health conditions in urban areas, particularly those
deemed high risk for potential infestations; and (2) regularly update and
publish management plans for pests that include status information and
funding needs. GAO recommended in its report on port inspections that DHS
and USDA (1) establish a process to identify and assess foreign pest risks
and implement a staffing model to meet those risks, (2) improve the
communication of pest alerts and other policies between agencies, and (3)
improve the effectiveness of the canine inspection program.
On the basis of the available evidence, it appears that the Asian
longhorned beetle will be eradicated in the three states that have
infestations, although funding reductions have extended the likely
completion date. In contrast, the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum-the
pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death-are likely to continue to infest and
damage forest ecosystems in the Midwest and on the West Coast, despite
efforts to control them.
The success of the federal responses to these infestations has been
affected by several factors. First, the unique biological characteristics
of each species greatly influences the ability to effectively control
them. Second, quarantines have helped contain the spread of the pests, but
implementing and enforcing quarantines has been difficult. Third, the only
available method for eradicating these pests is to destroy infested trees
and plants-a costly and sometimes impractical approach. Fourth, despite
budgeting over $420 million to control these three pests, USDA program
managers told GAO that funding has not been sufficient to fully implement
their programs. We also found that USDA had not adequately prepared
up-to-date management plans to provide decision makers and the public with
current information on the extent of the infestation, eradication goals,
and long-term funding needs.
We identified areas of vulnerability that we believe increase the risk of
future forest pest infestations. Specifically, we found that despite
efforts to expand USDA's forest health monitoring programs, they do not
adequately provide for comprehensive monitoring in urban forests or other
locations considered at high risk from pest invasions. Monitoring in such
areas is important because they are common destination points for
internationally traded cargo, which is a frequent pathway for pests.
Improvements could help prevent situations such as those experienced with
the Asian longhorned beetle, the emerald ash borer, and P. ramorum, in
which years of delay in detection allowed them to become established
before control programs began. In our report on port inspections, we found
that DHS has not used a risk-based staffing model to assign newly hired
agricultural specialists to ports of entry. As a result, DHS does not have
assurance that staff are assigned to areas of greatest vulnerability. In
addition, despite an interagency agreement intended to facilitate
coordination between DHS and USDA, agricultural specialists are not
consistently receiving notifications of changes to policies and urgent
inspection alerts in a timely manner. We also reported that DHS has
allowed the canine inspection program-dogs trained to locate items that
might harbor pests-to deteriorate. Dozens of canine units are vacant, and
the proficiency scores of the remaining canine units have declined.
*** End of document. ***