This month professional foresters around the state are working with USFS and CFRU research scientists to retrieve spruce budworm traps that were hung in designated areas in the north Maine woods over the summer. The trap catches will be analyzed to assess spruce budworm populations in the state. And yes, there are some SBW moths in those traps (see photo). In addition, researchers are collecting branch samples for the 2017 L2 data analysis. For more on the L2 data, see Maine Spruce ... Read More ›
News & Events
What’s happening with New Brunswick’s Forest Pest Management Team this Season
The spring and summer are busy months for the Forest Pest Management Team at New Brunswick's Department of Energy and Resource Development (ERD). From the day that seasonal staff arrives in June they get to work setting SBW pheromone traps throughout the province. These traps are used as early warning signs of population growth and you can read more about them in one of our previous blog posts. After the pheromone traps are hung, our staff switches focus to two vital components of the EIS ... Read More ›
To the north, spruce budworm treatment concludes and research begins
In New Brunswick, another year of experimental treatments for the Early Intervention Strategy (EIS) have come to pass. The 2017 treatments began on June 13th, when the spruce budworm larvae were entering their mid instar developmental stage. This timing is important as the insecticides we use must be eaten by the larvae to have an affect. This year our experimental treatment area covered 150 000 ha. To read the full post from Healthy Forest Partnership, click here. ... Read More ›
Early Intervention Progress in New Brunswick
New Brunswick's early intervention efforts to prevent SBW spread is in full swing. To date, 80% of the project's total area (150,000 ha) has been treated. For more information on the early intervention strategy, visit the Healthy Forest Partnership website. ... Read More ›
New Research on Spruce Budworm
New from the Canadian Journal of Forest Research: Bottom-up factors contribute to large-scale synchrony in spruce budworm populations by Mathieu Bouchard, Jacques Regniere, & Pierre Therrien Understanding the mechanisms that cause large-scale synchrony in insect population dynamics might yield key insights for predicting potential outbreak occurrence. Here, we evaluated which environmental factors best explain synchronous population fluctuations in the spruce budworm (SBW). SBW population ... Read More ›
Balsam Fir Stand Development Post SBW-related Mortality
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 ›
Kanoti to Provide SBW Update at Merryspring Nature Center, Camden
Tuesday March 21st, Noon-1, Camden ME. Entomologist Allison Kanoti of the Maine Forest Service will provide an update on spruce budworm in Maine at the Merryspring Nature Center in Camden. Members: Free, Non-Members $5.00. ... Read More ›
SBW Session at NESAF Meeting in Bangor
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 ›
Maine Forest Service Releases 2016 SBW Report
The Maine Forest Service has just released a review of spruce budworm conditions in Maine based on the 2016 pheromone trap survey. Maine Forest Service 2016 Spruce Budworm Report Updates to the report will be posted on this site. ... Read More ›