The horticultural trade relies on healthy plants to flourish. However, its very nature
means that it is also a key pathway for the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases.

Join Jenica Allen and Bethany Bradley to learn about new tools for identifying and prioritizing range-shifting invasive plants coming soon to a landscape near you.

European ash is a significant tree commercially, ecologically, and culturally. It is currently
threatened by two invasive species, the fungus that causes ash dieback and

Oak decline is a slow-acting disease complex that involves the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors such as climate, site quality and advancing tree age.

Interception of potential invasive species at ports-of-entry is essential for effective biosecurity
and biosurveillance programs. However, taxonomic assessment of the immature stages

Iconic tree species include those native trees that once dominated the typical American city landscape. The American elm and chestnut are the first two that come to mind, and now ash trees are similarly under significant threat of loss.

Ice or snow loads can cause branch breakage or failure of entire trees and shrubs. Branches or entire trees that fall in storms can impact homes, vehicles, power lines and block roads.

Intensively managed landscapes, like those found in many public gardens, attempt to mitigate the impact of significant weather events through irrigation, improving soil characteristics, and mulching.

In August 2008, a dangerous pest, the nonnative, invasive Asian longhorned beetle, was discovered in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

• Many exotic plant pests and pathogens are unknown prior to their establishment, making prevention and management difficult.