Pine forests in the southern U.S. provide invaluable economic and ecological benefits to the region and U.S. However, southern pine forests also face many biotic threats, including native and introduced invasive insects and pathogens. To protect and sustain these native pine forests, a diverse group of personnel and agencies co-developed the Pine Pandemic Preparedness Plan (P4) to proactively provide guidelines for forest professionals to understand and respond to new non-native, high-impact pests or diseases of southern pines. The P4 recommends the main steps necessary to curtail a new invasive threat immediately, with minimal impacts to forests and the environment. This may facilitate the most efficient use of diverse resources to effectively manage pests and diseases in the long-term. We envision this document as a flexible guide based on the situation, easy-to-use by anyone with a stake in sustainable forestry. The four central components of the P4 are: 1) Communication; 2) Detection and diagnosis; 3) Delimitation and assessment; and 4) Response. Each of these actionable and strategic components are linked and serve as complements to existing state and federal emergency responses. It will be critical to utilize new and existing networks to survey for pests and diseases, and to report their impact, extent, hazard, and risk to the resource. In this presentation we present details of the plan and share opportunities for input and engagement as the plan is completed and nears implementation status.
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