Managing Plant Pests To 
Protect Plant Resources 
Science, Documentation, and 
Risk Analysis: 
Mitigating the Risks 
PPQ is uniquely capable of 
delivering specific plant protection 
services to manage plant pests 
because of its infrastructure, 
statutory authorities, and opera- 
tional and technical expertise. 
Ouiside scientists and researchers 
often partner with PPQ to capital- 
ize on its expertise and resources 
when dealing with plant health 
issues. 
International standards that govern 
trade in plant and animal products 
must be science based and 
transparent so trading partners are 
not subject to political whims and 
fair trade is possible. The United 
States has a solid plant protection 
infrastructure, thanks to the 
internationally recognized work of 
PPQ, and is a world leader in 
setting phytosanitary and 
zoosanitary standards. 
When they intercept potentially 
invasive plant pests, diseases, or 
noxious weeds, PPQ personnel 
(1) identify the pest or disease, 
(2) assess the risks it poses, 
(3) communicate the risks to 
stakeholders, (4) consider 
management options, (5) deter- 
mine the pest’s or disease’s 
“quarantine action status” (e.g., 
does it present enough of a risk to 
take some regulatory or preventive 
action?), and (6) implement the 
final risk-management action. This 
process has generated an 
extensive data base of actionable 
pests and has helped PPQ and its 
partners develop effective strate- 
gies for managing and mitigating 
disease or pest risk. 
PPQ scientists at headquarters 
take the lead, along with field staff, 
to identify plant pests and dis- 
eases intercepted at ports of entry 
and exit from import and export 
cargo and from passengers or 
PPQ scientists identify plant pests and 
diseases intercepted at ports or collected 
from domestic eradication programs. 
(APHIS photo by Laurie Smith.) 
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