Forest Health

Forest Health

The primary focus of the forest health program is on invasive pests and plants that threaten all of American Samoa's forests - even those too remote or steep for human use. Serious invasives impact all categories of forest life including thick spreading vines, invasive trees that outcompete natives, tree-killing fungi, exotic invasive insects, feral pigs, and birds. The Mexican rubber tree (Castilla elastica), Tamaligi (Falcataria moluccana), and African Tulip (Spathodea campanulata) can dominate forested areas and have negative impacts such as increasing soil erosion and decreasing native habitats. The Forestry Program continues to control these in 5 control project sites (Pago Pago, Vaitogi, Malota, Fagaalu, and Iliili).