Canadian Forest Service Publications
Natural Disturbance in Central Canada’s Forests: Spruce Budworm – Wildfire Interactions in a Changing Climate (Information Report GLC-X-31). Fewster, V.; MacQuarrie, C.J.K. and Candau, J.-N. 2022. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre. Information Report GLC-X-31. 14 p.
Year: 2022
Issued by: Great Lakes Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 40643
Language: English
Series: Information Report (GLFC - Sault Ste. Marie)
Availability: PDF (download)
Plain Language Summary
Canada’s forests endure natural disturbances annually, contributing to the overall health and structure of the forest. In central Canada, the boreal forest is affected annually by both wildfires and forest pests such as spruce budworm. Over the last few decades, Great Lakes Forestry Centre scientists have discovered that the damage by the cyclical outbreaks of spruce budworm can contribute to the frequency and intensity of wildfires. This information report reviews the interaction of these two disturbance regimes as well as the way they interact with each other in the forest. The report also considers the implications climate change is predicted to have on both wildfires and spruce budworm outbreaks, and how that may in turn affect their interactions in the forest.
