Year of publication 2011

This guide was prepared to assist senior level program managers and policy makers in establishing priorities and making choices for invasive species management programs. While recognizing the critical and primary importance of prevention programs, the focus of the guide is the management of invasive species once they have arrived, which is an uncomfortable, but increasingly familiar role for many program managers and policy makers. The idea for the guide was conceived at the 2010 annual meeting of the Conference on the Continental Dialogue on Non-native Forest Insects and Diseases. The Dialogue’s Steering Committee believes this guide can be a valuable resource and recommends its wide distribution and consideration. We note that while the guide may not provide specific answers to your invasive species problems, it can provide context, based on many years of experience and lessons learned, to assist in making the best management decisions possible. A series of case studies (see attachment) involving high-priority invasive species were developed to demonstrate how this guide could be used. These case studies are not intended to judge any actions taken or not taken by entities – but rather to pose questions to spur discussion regarding the tough decisions faced by invasive species program managers.