Introducing the Pest Proximity Database

The new Pest Proximity Database, now built into the Forest Change Assessment Viewer, helps determine which insects and disease agents are most likely to have been responsible for new forest disturbances seen in your area. By clicking on a cell in the Assessment Viewer, a list of the “most likely suspects” is presented to users in descending order of likelihood, based on the proportion of total area disturbed by this agent in the past versus total area disturbed by any insect or disease.

The list shows each insect and disease agent that has been seen in the Aerial Disturbance Surveys between 2003 and 2010 within 75 km of where you click, including distance to the nearest disturbance, total disturbed acreage, count of separate disturbed areas, and most recent year seen. Forest resource managers and other users of the Assessment Viewer will find thatthe new Pest Proximity Database is a powerful new attribution aid to help identify the prospective candidate causes of particular forest disturbances. In the future, EFETAC scientists will also add date information for each insect and disease pest, to show the calendar periods of biological activity for particular disturbance agents. Visit the Forest Change Assessment Viewer to try out this innovative new database!