Maine
Online tool aims to predict future invasive pests
A new online tool that aims to predict future invasive insects has been developed with the help of an assistant professor of forest entomology at the University of Maine.
Angela Mech helped lead a group across the U.S. who spent the past seven years creating the i-Tree Pest Predictor. She said it uses data about tree and insect traits and how they interact to help identify future problematic invasive insects.
“So we can predict the next emerald ash borer or browntail moth before it gets here and that way be a little better prepared for it,” she said.
Mech said the tool, which can be found online, is available for anyone to use.