To protect our state’s forests and woodlands, we diagnose forest pests and diseases.
Pests such as cogongrass, emerald ash borer, laurel wilt, oak wilt, and others may require advanced level diagnosis. Take the following steps to diagnose forest pests and diseases.
- Request a diagnosis through your local agency office.
- We will schedule a time to visit the affected area to make a diagnosis.
- If our local office is unable to make a diagnosis, our Regional Forest Health Coordinator will be contacted to visit the affected area to make a diagnosis.
- If we are still unable to make a positive diagnosis, we will obtain a sample of the pest which will be sent to either the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, USDA National EAB Laboratory, US Forest Service Diagnostic Lab, or other appropriate laboratory for the purpose of pest identification and confirmation.
- If we need a laboratory diagnosis and confirmation, our agency will incur all expenses for securing the sample and associated costs for a laboratory diagnosis. If we can make a reasonable diagnosis without the aid of a laboratory, and the landowner or homeowner still wants a lab to confirm the identification, the landowner/homeowner will have to pay the cost of the laboratory results.