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Funding for management of exodc pest infestations is unfortunately crisisoriented. 

 Seventeen yean ago, a National Academy of Sciences (1975) report found that, In 

 the area of pest control research, priorities have often been set under political pres- 

 sures for immediate answers, with too much regard for short-term problems and too 

 little consideration for broader management objectives. Part of this problem arises 

 from portions of the Forest Pest Conu-ol Act of 1947 thaL..tend[s] to promote an 

 'action' attitude that may inhibit solutions other than short-term, direct chemical 

 control" (National Academy of Sciences 1975). Butternut canker and dogwood an- 

 thracnose are good examples of diseases that were allowed to decimate tree populations 

 with litde attention, until recently, to conu-olling these pests or breeding resistant 

 tree varieries. 



Total expenditures by agencies of the USDA to combat exotic pests of trees in fiscal 

 year 1993 approached $19 million. The vast preponderance was spent by the Forest 

 Service: $11.8 million by the Forest Pest Management program (Lorimer, personal 

 communication). $1.23 million by Forest Insect and Disease Research (Smith, per- 

 sonal communication), and $1.45 million by the Timber Program tree improvement 

 program (Miller, personal communication). 



Two other agencies of USDA also contributed to the effort. Expenditures by APHIS 

 vary considerably from year to year because it responds to introductions when they 

 are detected. Thus, in fiscal year 1992, APHIS spent $20 million on efforts to eradi- 

 cate the Asian gypsy modi. In fiscal year 1993. APHIS allocated only $2.25 million for 

 preventing the dissemination of inu-oduced exotic n-ee pests into the counu-y. This 

 figure does not include APHIS' port inspection program effort devoted to wood 

 imports (a small proportion compared to inspections of fruits, vegetables, live plants, 

 etc.) or administrative costs (including APHIS' costs associated with preparing either 

 the country-specific risk assessments or the more general regulations to govern 

 imports of "unprocessed wood" products) (McGovern, personal communication). 

 Finally, the Agricultural Research Service is spending $350,000 on research on dog- 

 wood anihracnose and $1.9 million on gypsy moth research (Faust). 



Over two-thirds of all USDA tree pest control funds ($13 million from the Forest 

 Service's Forest Pest Management program and Agriculture Research Service) are 

 devoted to efforts to suppress or eradicate the European gypsy moth. An additional 

 $1.8 million is being spent, largely by APHIS, to monitor Asian gypsy moth popula- 

 tions in Siberia and ships entering our ports to prevent a re-introduction of this 

 insect. In sum. over three-quarters of all USDA uee pest control funds were gypsy 

 moth-related. 



Pest control in the white pine group received a total of over $2 million dollars in 

 Forest Service funds. The bulk of this amount funds a western white pine blister rust 

 breeding program. Several introduced pjests or pathogens received funding at levels 

 between $600,000 and $700,000. These included the European pine shoot beede, 

 which viras discovered in the Lake Sutes in 1992; and dogwood anthracnose. Dutch 

 elm disease control efforts received $544,000. The only other pest control program 

 receiving more than $100,000 was the hemlock woolly adelgid. Other trees threat- 

 ened by exotic pests, fungi, or disease pathogens — Port-Orford-Cedar, butternut, 

 beech, and chestnut — were funded at levels of from $52,000 down to $14,000. 



Recommendations Re: A Comprehensive Program 



We see no need to create new institutions to implement a u-uly comprehensive pest 



prevention and management program for America's foresu. The various tasks should 



