Plant Health Safeguarding Continuum in the United States

Every traveler and all goods entering our country’s borders is a potential pathway for harmful exotic plant pests. Plant pests include plant feeding insects, mites, snails, slugs, and plant pathogens capable of causing millions of dollars in damage to U.S. agriculture and natural resources. Here in the U.S. with the increasingly high volume of human-facilitated movement of goods and travelers, the magnitude of the task of minimizing the risk of invasive pests entering the country and managing pest incursions is challenging. This course will familiarize individuals with current issues, policies, and existing safeguards to prevent the spread of invasive pests. The course consist of eight lesson contained in two modules: (1) Introduction to Plant Protection and Quarantine and (2) Framework for Plant Protection and Quarantine. The first module (Intro to PPQ) consists of: (1) Plant Protection and Quarantine (2) Federal Government Role in PPQ (3) Legal Authority and (4) International Obligations. The second module (Framework for PPQ) consists of: (1) Prevention (2) Preparedness (3) Response (4) Recovery.