The Maine Forest Service and UMaine’s Cooperative Forestry Research Unit continue to work together to gather L2 sampling data, relying on our industry partners for collection of branch samples. This is a coordinated effort between northern Maine landowners and managers, the MFS, and the CFRU.
Dr. Neil Thompson of the University of Maine at Fort Kent has assumed responsibility for the coordination of the CFRU’s L2 population/defoliation survey. All samples will be processed at UMFK in 2020; a dropoff point at Orono will serve landowners in the central region. Contact: neil.thompson@maine.
January 2021 Update (6 min video)
Maine L2 Sampling Protocol
In addition, the following video demonstrates how to collect and package L2 samples.
See our most recent map of L2 survey results.
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Branch samples collected from plots throughout Maine’s working forest in December 2016 being analyzed for spruce budworm stage 2 larvae (SBW L2) by Rob Johns and Emily Owens of the Canadian Forest Service. Branches are chopped and washed in the buckets, then residues are transferred to gridded filter paper discs where the SBW L2 are counted. The counting process provides information on SBW population trends.