Monday, January 07, 2008

Deep Woods On

The internet is hoarding massive amounts of data, yours for the viewing if only you know where to look for it. Take for example the Exotic Forest Pest Information System For North America. A joint effort of international organizations and government agencies from the USA, Canada and Mexico, ExFor is a relatively small but incredibly detailed database of pests that threaten forest plants, from fungi and viruses to insects and other invertebrates. So far, there are only about 180 species listed in the database, with profiles for more than 140 of them. The profiles include risk assessments regarding the potential for each species to establish in North America and to cause economic damage. A complete list can be viewed here, though some of the full reports are provisional and not yet available to the public.

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