The Special Technology Development Program is administered at the national level and funds are provided by the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection, Forest Service Research, the Eastern Environmental Threat Assessment Center, and the Western Environmental Threat Assessment Center. Projects submitted to this Program must contribute to fulfilling the Forest Service (FS) Forest Health Protection (FHP) mission: To protect and improve the health of America’s rural, wildland, and urban forests - i.e. must address forest insects, forest pathogens and diseases, and invasive plants.