Articles

Introduced animals are among the most persistent threats to Hawaiʻi’s forests. Ungulates such as feral pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, and deer can damage native vegetation, reducing forest regeneration through overgrazing, soil disturbance, increased erosion, and by spreading invasive plants and diseases. Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, commonly known as ROD, is one such disease that can be spread by fe...

The Forest Service manages many of the most popular recreation sites in southern California and is working to preserve and enhance public benefit by integrating the best available scientific understanding of various risks to recreation and recreation sites into management. Researchers from the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Research Stations and Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center worked with the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region to assess potential risks to visitors’ outdoor experiences and determine actions to address those risks.

An Emerging Threat“ʻŌhiʻa are the cornerstone of the culture and environment in Hawaiʻi,” said Kylle Roy, a forest entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection program. Yet ʻōhiʻa trees are dying at an unprecedented rate, leading federal, state, and private land managers to collaborate in the search for a solution before it is too late.The culprit is rapid ʻōh...

As the Pacific Southwest Research Station marks 100 years, the Eddy Arboretum's living collection and new interactive map show how science helps land managers prepare for the future.

When Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) officials identified the presence of invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles (Oryctes rhinoceros) in traps near Kaunakakai, on the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi, the discovery raised an important question: were the beetles isolated adults, or was the invasive pest already breeding somewhere out of sight?Coconut rhinoceros beetles are known dest...