FHAAST provides support for both tactical and strategic forest health risk assessments. In addition, this program coordinates, in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Monitoring program (FHM), the development of a National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM) and database.FHAAST has completed the 2013 - 2027 National Insect and Disease Risk Map (2012 NIDRM); a nationwide strategic assessment and database of the potential hazard for tree mortality due to major forest insects and diseases. The goal of NIDRM is to summarize landscape-level patterns of potential insect and disease activity, consistent with the philosophy that science-based, transparent methods should be used to allocate pest-management resources across geographic regions and individual pest distributions. In other words: prioritize investment for areas where both hazard is significant and effective treatment can be efficiently implemented.NIDRM data can be used to:Identify the potential impacts of pests and pathogens to forest ecosystems throughout the US for the 2013 - 2027 timeframe.Generate forest pest and pathogen risk maps at a scale useful for resource planning and management purposes in many of our National Forests, National Parks, and other local units.Develop an effective strategic planning tool that can inform assessments of natural ecosystems and ensure resources for forest pest prevention, suppression, and restoration reaches the highest priority areas.Detect areas where hazardous fuels treatments coincide with lands at risk for forest pest activity, much of which is density driven. Efficiencies will be gained by prioritizing coincident areas.For a quick overview of the 2013 - 2027 assessment and to learn more information on the differences between the 2006 and 2012 NIDRMs download the executive summary (2 MB PDF).Explore forests vulnerable to attack from major insects and diseases by viewing the Interactive Story Map of the National Insect and Disease Risk Map