University of New Brunswick researchers Grant Virgin and Dave MacLean's article, Five Decades of Balsam Fir Stand Development After Spruce Budworm-related Mortality, has just been published online in Forest Ecology and Management. Highlights Five decades of stand development in spruce budworm affected plots in New Brunswick. Stand development and self-thinning patterns varied based on post-outbreak stocking. Thinned and unthinned plots had more volume at younger ages than budworm ... Read More ›

The use of weather surveillance radar and high-resolution three dimensional weather data to monitor a spruce budworm mass exodus flight by Yan Boulanger, Frédéric Fabry, Alamelu Kilambi, Deepa S. Pureswaran, Brian R. Sturtevant, and Rémi Saint-Amant Published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Volumes 234-235, 15 March 2017, pages 127-135. HIGHLIGHTS Weather radar (WSR) and weather data was used to assess spruce budworm (SBW) exodus. WSR suggested that the flight originated from ... Read More ›

On October 20, 2016, Rob Johns, forest insect ecologist for Natural Resources Canada lead a discussion on the background, biology, and economic impact of the eastern spruce budworm at the MFS Southern Region Headquarters in Augusta, Maine. Dr. Johns discussed the application and safety of pesticide mechanisms for budworm control and covered the early intervention strategy being implemented in New Brunswick. Allison Kanoti, entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, provided an update on ... Read More ›

Thursday March 9th, 2017, 8am-930am, Bangor ME.  A spruce budworm session will kick off the second day of the Northeastern Forest Pest Council (NEFPC) concurrent session at the Joint New England/New York Society of American Foresters/NEFPC meeting.   Speakers to include Dr. Rob Johns and Dr. Daniel Kneeshaw.  Registration fees apply. Registration details will be available at: https://sites.google.com/site/northeasternforestpestcouncil/meetings. ... Read More ›

MFFP’s 2016 SBW Defoliation report is out: http://www.mffp.gouv.qc.ca/…/insect…/tordeuse/TBE_2016_P.pdf The report highlights an increase of 0.7 million ha this year to a total of 7 million ha of defoliation in Québec. The Gaspé region of Québec went from a total of 1.2 million ha last year to 1.5 million ha this year. ... Read More ›