Enrico Bonello, professor of plant pathology, has presented his research about invasive pests and their threat to healthy forests to staff members from the U.S. House and Senate.
“Recently I have become more and more interested in advocating for a change in policy related to how the government deals with the serious problem of invasive pests of forest trees,” Bonello says.
He and Faith Campbell, president of the Center for Invasive Species Prevention, presented “Innovative solutions to invasive forest pests: A paradigm shift,” on Capitol Hill Feb. 28 during National Invasive Species Awareness Week. They addressed the importance of healthy forests and their current economic and ecological threats, and Bonello specifically explained the significance of developing resistance in host trees for effective, long-term management of the problem.
They proposed the establishment of national Centers for Forest Pest Control and Prevention akin to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In their presentation they also suggested that Congress should request a report from the Congressional Research Service on how funding has been expended for forest invasive pests and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis of whether such efforts have led to anything positive.
Bonello said the ideas were well received by the congressional staffers, although they indicated the establishment of the centers could be a “heavy lift.”
After talking with the staffers, Bonello, Campbell and several other colleagues from other universities and NGOs that are part of their advocacy group will sketch out more detailed plans for how the centers may be structured and funded. They also plan to publish their concepts in primary research literature in the near future.”
The visit to Washington, D.C., also brought a chance encounter with an Ohio State alumnus, Matthew Bright, who works for Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat from Illinois. Bright is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“Matthew came to me after the briefing and told me he already knew me because he did his doctorate in soil science at Ohio State,” Bonello says. “He told me he would love to work with us to advance our concepts.”