Introduction
The dangers of exotic forest pests in North America first became evident when gypsy moth quickly became a problem after its release in 1869 (Howard, 1898). Over the years, hundreds of species of insects and plant pathogens have been introduced to North America (Mattson et al., 1994; Liebhold et al., 1995). Fortunately only a portion of them cause dramatic damage to forests or threaten specific species - while most have relatively low profiles. Below are short summaries for: 1) some of the most serious established exotic pests and pathogens in North American forests, 2) newly discovered pests and pathogens in North America, and 3) pests and pathogens that are not yet here, but which could cause problems if introduced and established. In addition to North America, the Gallery of Pests includes notable entries for U.S. Territories, Possessions, and Protectorates.

How to use the Gallery
You can read the Gallery of Pests by selecting the specific section that interests you from the list below, or you can read the entire Gallery sequentially by using your mouse to squish the emerald ash borer navigational icons at the bottom of each page.

You can also use the table near the bottom of this current page to look up your pest/pathogen by Latin name or by common name.

Regional Pest List
Are you baffled by all the pests in the Gallery, and are you left wondering which pests you should be most worried about? Here is a regional breakdown of the pests threatening the various major geographical regions of the USA.

Acknowledgments
Much of the material in Faith Campbell's contributions to the Gallery of Pests was previously published in Campbell and Schlarbaum, Fading Forests II: Trading Away North America's Natural Heritage, Published by the Healing Stones Foundation in Cooperation with American Lands Alliance and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Copies available from the authors.

The introduction on this page was written by Faith T. Campbell.

The Nature Conservancy's Global Invasive Species Team staff would like to thank in particular the many photographers that contribute to the image archives at http://www.forestryimages.com. Many of their images were used in our presentation. Their specific contributions are noted on our photograph list for animal invaders and pathogens. The forward/backward graphics used in our Gallery pages were adopted from a photograph taken by David Cappaert.

Sources for the introduction on this page
Howard, L. O. 1898. Danger of importing insect pests. 1898. In: Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture. 1897. G. M. Hill, Editor. Government Printing Office, Washington. Pp. 529 552.

Liebhold, A. M., W. L. MacDonald, D. Bergdahl, and V. C. Mastro. 1995. Invasion by exotic forest pests: a threat to forest ecosystems. Forest Sci., Monograph 30. 49 pp.

Mattson, W. J., P. Niemela, I. Millers, and Y. Ingauazo. 1994. Immigrant phytophagous insects on woody plants in the United States and Canada: an annotated list. USDA For. Ser. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-169, 27 pp.

Invasive plant management
Research the information we have on the management of a particular species of invasive plant here.

Invasive animal & pathogen management
Research the information we have on the management of a particular species of invasive animal or pathogen here.

Weed Control Methods Handbook
An electronic handbook provides detailed information on the use of manual and mechanical techniques, grazing, prescribed fire, biocontrol, and herbicides, to help you control undesirable invasive plants.

Remote sensing
A review of remote sensing technology, as applied to invasive species detection and mapping.

Tool reviews
Read our reviews of hardware that are useful for those working in invasive species management.

1998-99 survey
Learn about our 1999 survey--a snapshot of invasive species issues across all of The Nature Conservancy.

Global weed list
An extraordinary database consisting of invasive plant lists, observations, and publications. Look here to learn if a plant has been observed acting as an invader.

Weed Information Management System (WIMS)
A fully-integrated hardware and software application for mapping invasives and tracking management actions.

Remote sensing
A review of remote sensing technology, as applied to invasive species detection and mapping.

Photography archive
One of the largest collections of photographs of invasive species (mostly plants) available on the web.

Red Alerts!
Species which are either new to an area, or are showing alarming symptoms such as signs of signicant, new expansion.

State & country programs
Profiles of noteworthy invasive species work being done by state and country programs in The Nature Conservancy.

Templates and examples
Adaptive management planning tools such as model plans for sites, weed control templates, etc. Very useful!

Listserves
Join our listserve to voice your frustrations and trumpet your successes.

Volunteer coordination and public outreach
Powerpoint presentations on invasive species, weed pamphlets, on developing weed management areas, and more.