About the Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases

• Our Mission
• Our Vision
• Our Progress
• Our Newsletter
• Our Steering Committee

For a brochure providing a brief description of the Continental Dialogue, please click here.

Our Mission

The Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forests Insects and Diseases cultivates and catalyzes collaborative action among diverse interests to abate the threat to North American forests from non-native insects and diseases.

Our Vision

Urban and rural forests cover one-fourth of North America, sustaining biological diversity and providing clean air and water to hundreds of millions of people. Forest products and related industries employ more than 1.6 million people and contribute $231.5 billion to our nation's economy. Forests also provide enjoyment to millions of hikers, campers, hunters, anglers, and other recreational users, in the process contributing tens of billions of dollars more economic activity. Perhaps most importantly, our forests – urban, suburban, rural, and wild – are part of the core foundation of our national heritage, providing beauty and shade to our homes, and are integral to the American spirit. The well-being of our forests is inextricably bound to the well-being of our citizens.

In spite of their vast importance, our forests are needlessly being lost to non-native forest insects and diseases introduced as a byproduct of international trade and travel. These invaders represent one of the greatest threats to our forests and shade trees. Without countering these threats, the American landscape will change drastically and, probably, irreversibly.

We envision a future when such threats sharply decline. Then, healthy forests will sustain and enrich biological diversity; provide not just clean air and clean water but also contribute to a stable climate; and supply other ecosystem services in abundance. Our forests will provide new and substantial economic, recreational, and inspirational opportunity for all Americans. The public will recognize that non-native insects and diseases pose a threat to US forests that must be addressed – and they will create a strong demand to do so. Stronger national policies will result, along with supportive actions by businesses, states, individuals, and many others.

We join together as non-profit organizations, for-profit corporations, government agencies, landowners, and academic scholars to improve our nation’s efforts to address this critical threat to our forests. Our Dialogue will create real and lasting change, by seeking out those areas where we have unique leverage, credibility, and opportunities. We will organize our efforts around programs to prevent non-native insects and diseases from arriving, surviving and thriving on the continent. We see the Continental Dialogue as an important way to move toward our larger vision. We look forward to a time when its formation will be seen as a pivotal moment in the history of conserving American forests.

Our Progress

An initial meeting for this effort was held in June of 2006 and attracted approximately 50 leaders representing this broad range of interests. The meeting provided the opportunity to share information on the status of the threat of non-native forest insects and diseases, to seek input on a common vision and goals for potential collaborative action, and to identify a list of action agenda to provide a menu of more specific ideas to as to what actions the Dialogue might take to address the threat of non-native insects and diseases to our forests. The development of the final draft of the Dialogue’s Vision and Goals was accomplished in this event.

A second meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2007. Capitalizing upon the valuable insights from the last event, the participants identified opportunities for action and developed strategies in support of such actions. Following the meeting six working groups were established to prevent non-native insects and diseases from arriving, surviving, and thriving on the continent: preventing the introduction of new pests and diseases; limiting the spread of pests and diseases in the United States; engaging private groups in forest protection; supporting the authorization of new federal action; encouraging increased federal funding; and communicating key ideas about protecting forests.

The Dialogue Steering Committee developed an Action Agenda Notes to clarify the objectives and value for each working group and to identify high priority steps in achieving the objectives.

The third Dialogue meeting was held in December 2007 (Meeting Summary) in Washington, DC. The goal of the December 2007 Dialogue meeting was to advance collaboration around actions to address the threat of non-native forest insects and diseases. Participants learned about the progress over the prior nine months regarding the Dialogue goals; discuss where the six Workgroups were heading in 2008; and agreed on activities, individually and collectively, to take in the upcoming year.

Building on the success of the first three meetings and the ongoing efforts of the working groups, the Dialogue’s Steering Committee agreed to host an annual Dialogue meeting, in different parts of the country to 1) cultivate collaborations toward action to address the threat of non-native forest insects and diseases; 2) look for opportunities to link state and local actions to Continental Dialogue efforts to enhance national policies and strategies; 3) expand the effectiveness and reach of public and private entities and citizens in the battle against the non-native insects and diseases killing their trees; and 4) identify and agree on needed actions for the Continental Dialogue to take in the upcoming year.

The fourth Dialogue meeting was held in November 2008 (Meeting Summary) in Grand Rapids, MI. The participants shared their efforts to address these issues at the local level (throughout the Midwest and nationally) and learned about the progress of the working groups in order to begin mapping out activities for the next year.

The fifth Dialogue meeting was held in October 2009 (Meeting Summary) in San Francisco, CA. For the first time, field trips were added to the agenda. These trips, one to the National Ornamental Research Nursery at Dominican University of California (NORS-DUC) and Muir Woods National Monument and the other to the Port of Oakland, proved to be very useful as educational opportunities and for participants to interact away from the meeting room.

Building on the efforts at the fifth meeting, the Steering Committee evaluated the Dialogue’s progress toward achieving the vision and goals and agreed to move toward a more specific issue-driven approach to accomplishing the work of the Dialogue and away from the broader Working Group approach (while still maintaining the emphasis of many of the prior groups). The members, along with other Dialogue participants, defined a series of “Initiatives” (i.e., more narrowly focused issues) more conducive to the type of progress and impact the Dialogue strives to engender.

The ongoing work of the Dialogue will be reviewed and discussed at the upcoming sixth meeting in Boston, MA on October 5-6, 2010; participants will also have the opportunity to attend one of three field trips the morning of the first day.

Our Newsletter

Approximately twice a year the Continental Dialogue develops and distributes a newsletter with information about the Dialogue’s efforts as well as individual participants efforts to address the threats threat to North American forests from non-native insects and diseases. The most recent newsletter as well as ones previously developed can be found here.

Our Steering Committee

A list of the members of the Steering Committee for the Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases can be found here.