Canadian Forest Service Publications
Canadian Forest Service spruce budworm L2 processing lab. 2019. R.C. Johns. Atlantic Forestry Centre - Making a Difference Note. NRCan, CFS-AFC, Fredericton, NB, Canada
Year: 2019
Issued by: Atlantic Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 39742
Language: English / French
Availability: PDF (download)
Plain Language Summary
Spruce budworm is the most serious native pest affecting the forest of northeastern North America. Outbreaks of this insect generally occur every 30 to 40 years. In 2006, an outbreak started in Quebec that threatened the fir and spruce forests of Atlantic Canada. In 2014, the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) started researching an innovative approach to managing spruce budworm populations in Atlantic Canada. The early intervention strategy for spruce budworm involves intensive monitoring of overwintering second-instar spruce budworm larvae (L2) to identify areas where populations are beginning to rise. The CFS has established an L2 processing laboratory at the Atlantic Forestry Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This publication gives an overview of L2 branch processing, which is the most efficient means for determining how many L2 are on a branch. This sampling technique is the backbone of the early intervention strategy on spruce budworm.