Protecting the Nation's Plant Resources
First in of a series of planned plant health emergency exercises
By Ron Dahlgren
STILLWATER, Okla. -- May 26, 2008. A reality of life today is that American agricultural crops are vulnerable. Not just the traditional vulnerabilities of adverse weather or changing markets, and not just the present vulnerabilities presented by escalating fuel costs which in turn are making costs for inputs such as fertilizer reach historic highs.
The newer vulnerabilities come from the present (and future) potential threats to crops, rangeland and forests from plant pathogens. "We're used to thinking that these plant communities are fairly safe," said Jacque Fletcher, professor of plant pathology and Director of the National Institute for Microbial Forensics and Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMFFAB) at Oklahoma State University.
"However, the more we learn," she said, "the less that is true. The simple act of transporting people and goods can accidentally carry disease agents across town or across the country. Natural events such as floods and hurricanes can move pathogens across hundreds or thousands of miles. And while no one likes to admit it, pathogens can be introduced deliberately: an act of vengeance, of economic sabotage, or at worst, as an act of bioterrorism."
As part of the new awareness of plant health vulnerability (long recognized and prepared for in the human and animal health realms), NIMFFAB recently conducted the first of a series of planned plant health emergency exercises.
"This was a small-scale exercise or workshop," Fletcher said. "We brought together people from plant health and law enforcement from the local, state, regional and federal levels to begin to increase our mutual understanding of the approaches, needs and priorities we each bring to the table, so to speak."
Among those brought together were representatives from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the National Plant Diagnostic Network, the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Department of Defense.
"Traditionally, we in the scientific community want to find out what the problem is and how to fix it. But some of what we as scientists would normally do, if the situation turned out to be a criminal act, could wind up harming or destroying evidence critical for law enforcement activities," she said.
After a day of learning about plants and the various key response agencies, attendees spent part of a day in the field. A scenario was created where a pathogen was found in a crop and the participants, in teams comprised of both science and law enforcement members, progressed through four specific learning stations. Through these stations participants learned from OSU personnel, and from one another, how to examine a site for forensic evidence; how to take and preserve plant samples while providing for the all-important chain-of-custody vital to criminal proceedings; how to interview farmers and crop consultants/experts; and lastly, the capabilities, availabilities and limitations of mobile lab facilities.
There were several 'oh, I never thought of that' moments provided for all participants. For one scientist, used to collecting soil samples to check for soil borne pathogens or nematodes, it was realizing that the portion of the soil sample routinely discarded was the very portion potentially most important for law enforcement.
The remainder of the exercise brought participants back to the meeting room where they reviewed what they had learned in the field, then moved on to examining how the process of an "event" might unfold: who would be notified and at what stage. Often characterized by participants as "navigating the alphabet soup of acronyms" of agencies, laboratories, organizations and stakeholders likely to be involved in an actual plant health emergency. Previous sentence not a complete sentence?
"This exercise was a success," Fletcher said,. "Many of the participants said that this workshop brought them much more than they anticipated, and that they wished more of their colleagues and counterparts had been able to participate."
"Their input also helped us identify others who need to be 'at the table' so to speak when we do our next event, "she said, "as well as helping us identify the materials and issues that should be covered."
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