The NAISMA Classical Biocontrol Committee (CBC) was created to support government officials in establishing and updating biological control standards. Now, the CBC’s vision is to be the central hub for collecting, discussing, and sharing on-the-ground successes, failures, observations, and resources in North America. Many of the CBC’s initiatives would not be possible without the United States Forest Service, which supports NAISMA and the CBC through grant funding.
One of the committee’s responsibilities is to organize the annual Biocontrol Summit. In 2022, the summit focused on weed management professionals and researchers sharing their stories, challenges, and successes. The Summit featured speakers from all across the continent in a variety of regions. Click here to watch the 2022 Summit recordings.
This past year, the CBC completed 30 weed biocontrol publications for use by managers and land owners. For 15 different weed systems, the committee created weed fact sheets that cover everything you need to know about the weed. Along with the weeds, they’ve also created 15 biocontrol agent factsheets to provide information for all biocontrol agents or accidentally introduced species. Each peer-reviewed publication is designed to help landowners and weed managers identify and understand weed ecology, as well as learn about the weed biocontrol agents.
Additional Biocontrol research was shared this year at NAISMA’s Annual Conference and through a monthly webinar titled “A Summary of Spotted Lanternfly Ecology and Biocontrol Efforts”. The recording is available in the webinar library within the member’s area of the NAISMA website.
In 2023, the CBC has set out to accomplish some ambitious goals. A new course titled “Biocontrol 101 Short Course” is under development and will be released in InvasivesU in Spring 2023. They’ll also be creating more fact sheets, with the eventual goal to have 80 publications for 40 different systems. Additionally, the committee intends to continue hosting biocontrol sessions at NAISMA’s 2023 Annual Conference in Nebraska and plans to coordinate another annual Biocontrol Summit.
“The CBC committee hopes to raise awareness among policymakers and higher level federal decision-makers about the safety and effectiveness of weed biocontrol programs and their importance and economic benefits in managing widespread weeds and the need for funding to continue to support these programs,” said Carrie Brown Lima, CBC Co-Chair. “Biocontrol tends to get limited attention and funding, and we think it is important to educate and advocate for it.”
NAISMA is always looking for new members to join and partner with the Classical Biocontrol Committee. If you’re not already a member, become a member today! Members get exclusive benefits and are eligible to participate in all of our committees, including CBC.
“Biological control is a key component of long-term sustainable management of invasive species, especially invasive plants,” said Phil Weyl, CBC Committee Member and Summit Speaker. “We, as biocontrol practitioners, need to promote its use, educate the public on the benefits and get it more widely accepted as a useful and significant tool in the management of invasive species. The CBC is geared at doing just that, with a group of passionate and enthusiastic individuals that I am very grateful to be part of.”
Join us to help provide a collective voice for on-the-ground biological control matters in North America! Contact NAISMA at to get involved.
