End-User Engagement

The BioSAFE project aims to benefit the stakeholder community with mandates or shared interest in forest health, and to foster a network approach that will facilitate the sharing of data and information on forest invasive species. Since the forest invasive alien species are a global threat, our aim is to open our tools and databases to the global community. End users who have access to laboratory will be able to use our protocols, in the form of validated target enrichments panels, and to access our database to analyse their results. End users who do not have access to laboratory facilities can contact our team to obtain information on how we can generate analyses as a fee-for-service.

Our aim is to develop a fully integrated network that spans multiple stakeholders including federal departments, provinces, municipalities and the public, and will facilitate early notifications and communications of potential pest threats in order to minimize response to initiate efforts against forest pests.

To help familiarize end users with the tools and promote their adoption, the BioSAFE team will be holding workshops at various events. In particular, we are planning outreach events in 2020, designated the International Year of Plant Health by the United Nations General Assembly. Opportunities to learn about the project and engage with team members can be found on the website’s events page.