The best way to avoid the negative impacts of invasive species is to take steps to prevent their spread. But once a new invasive species becomes established, detecting it early is essential to gaining an upper hand with management efforts. The longer an invasive species goes undetected, the more established it becomes, making them harder to remove and more capable of damaging the native ecosystem.
The gold standard for reporting an invasive species is iMapInvasives, a collaborative GIS-based online tool for invasive species data collection and management. iMapInvasives can be used via a free mobile app or online interface to record invasive species observations. Data submitted to iMapInvasives can be viewed on an interactive map and is used to assist with invasive species management initiatives.
The three things iMapInvasives can be used to report:
Detections: Do you think you’ve found an invasive species? Take a picture and report it using the iMapInvasives app.
Non-detections: There are some species like beech leaf disease and hemlock woolly adelgid that we are trying to learn more about, and knowing where the species is can be just as important as knowing where it isn’t. When participating in volunteer programs like Forest Pest Hunters, we ask people to report non-detects so we know that the area has been surveyed, and nothing was found.
Treatments: Reporting treatment efforts helps to track how effective the treatment is.
