scholarly journals Economics of Early Intervention to Suppress a Potential Spruce Budworm Outbreak on Crown Land in New Brunswick, Canada

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Ye Liu ◽  
Van A. Lantz ◽  
David A. MacLean ◽  
Chris Hennigar
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Economic Output ◽  
Biological Insecticide ◽  
Protection Strategies

We investigated the potential economic impacts of future spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) (SBW) outbreaks on 2.8 million ha of Crown land in New Brunswick, Canada and compared an early intervention strategy (EIS) with foliage protection approaches. We coupled the Spruce Budworm Decision Support System (SBW DSS) with a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to assess the impacts of EIS and foliage protection on 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of susceptible Crown (publicly owned) forest, under moderate and severe SBW outbreak scenarios. Cumulative available harvest supply from 2017 to 2067 was projected to be reduced by 29 to 43 million m3, depending upon SBW outbreak severity, and a successful EIS approach would prevent this loss. These harvest reductions were projected to reduce total economic output by $25 billion (CAD) to $35 billion. Scenarios using biological insecticide foliage protection over 20% of susceptible Crown forest area were projected to reduce losses to 6–17 million m3 and $0.5–4.1 billion. Depending upon SBW outbreak severity, EIS was projected to have benefit/cost ratios of 3.8 to 6.4 and net present values of $186 million to $353 million, both higher than foliage protection strategies. Sensitivity analysis scenarios of ‘what if’ EIS partially works (80% or 90%) showed that these produced superior timber harvest savings than the best foliage protection scenario under severe SBW outbreak conditions and generally superior results under moderate outbreak scenarios. Overall, results support the continued use of EIS as the preferred strategy on economic grounds to protect against SBW outbreaks on Crown land in New Brunswick.

scholarly journals Positive Results of an Early Intervention Strategy to Suppress a Spruce Budworm Outbreak after Five Years of Trials

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 448 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. MacLean ◽  
Peter Amirault ◽  
Luke Amos-Binks ◽  
Drew Carleton ◽  
Chris Hennigar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Insecticide Treatment ◽  
Salvage Harvesting

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.; SBW) outbreaks are one of the dominant natural disturbances in North America, having killed balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and spruce (Picea sp.) trees over tens of millions of hectares. Responses to past SBW outbreaks have included the aerial application of insecticides to limit defoliation and keep trees alive, salvage harvesting of dead and dying trees, or doing nothing and accepting the resulting timber losses. We tested a new ‘early intervention strategy’ (EIS) focused on suppressing rising SBW populations before major defoliation occurs, from 2014 to 2018 in New Brunswick, Canada. The EIS approach included: (1) intensive monitoring of overwintering SBW to detect ‘hot spots’ of low but rising populations; (2) targeted insecticide treatment to prevent spread; and (3) proactive public communications and engagement on project activities and results. This is the first attempt of area-wide (all areas within the jurisdiction of the province of New Brunswick) management of a native forest insect population. The project was conducted by a consortium of government, forest industry, researchers, and other partners. We developed a treatment priority and blocking model to optimize planning and efficacy of EIS SBW insecticide treatment programs. Following 5 years of over 420,000 ha of EIS treatments of low but increasing SBW populations, second instar larvae (L2) SBW levels across northern New Brunswick were found to be considerably lower than populations in adjacent Québec. Treatments increased from 4500 ha in 2014, to 56,600 ha in 2016, and to 199,000 ha in 2018. SBW populations in blocks treated with Bacillus thuringiensis or tebufenozide insecticide were consistently reduced, and generally did not require treatment in the subsequent year. Areas requiring treatment increased up to 2018, but SBW L2 populations showed over 90% reductions in that year. Although this may be a temporary annual decline in SBW population increases, it is counter to continued increases in Québec. Following 5 years of tests, the EIS appears to be effective in reducing the SBW outbreak.

Re-examining wood supply in light of future spruce budworm outbreaks: A case study in New Brunswick

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (01) ◽  
pp. 42-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.R. Hennigar ◽  
T.A. Erdle ◽  
J.J. Gullison ◽  
D.A. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Biological Insecticide ◽  
Salvage Harvesting

Forest protection (spraying of biological insecticide), salvage harvesting, and strategic re-planning are typical mitigation options to reduce wood supply impacts caused by spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana [Clem.]) defoliation. However, all such measures are expensive and difficult to implement, and decisions about if and to what extent such measures should be applied hinge on the magnitude of benefits and associated costs. We used an integrated forest estate pest-impact planning model to quantify harvest impacts for three plausible outbreak scenarios, and the effect of these typical mitigation strategies for 3.0 million ha in New Brunswick. Cumulative harvest reductions, relative to the no defoliation case, reached 18% and 25% by 2052 under moderate and severe defoliation patterns, respectively. We demonstrate that up to 30% to 50% of these projected reductions could be avoided through foliage protection treatments, depending on the outbreak scenario. Salvage and re-planning mitigated harvest losses by up to 20% in the short term (20 to 25 years), but had little benefit over the long run (40+ years). Even with aggressive implementation of all mitigation measures, significant harvest impacts (10% reduction from 2017 to 2042) were unavoidable, regardless of outbreak scenario.

scholarly journals Protection Strategy against Spruce Budworm

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1137
Author(s):  
David A. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Protection Strategy ◽  
Forest Insects ◽  
Considerable Success

Spruce budworm is one of the most significant forest insects worldwide, in terms of outbreak extent, severity, and economic impacts. As a defoliator, spruce budworm larvae are susceptible to insecticide protection, and improvements in efficacy and reductions in non-target environmental effects have made such protection attractive. In this Special Issue, 12 papers describe the advances in spruce budworm protection, most notably an ‘early intervention strategy’ approach that after six years of trials in New Brunswick, Canada, shows considerable success to date in reducing budworm outbreak occurrence and severity.

scholarly journals A Conceptual Framework for the Spruce Budworm Early Intervention Strategy: Can Outbreaks be Stopped?

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Johns ◽  
Joseph J. Bowden ◽  
Drew R. Carleton ◽  
Barry J. Cooke ◽  
Sara Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Management Program

The spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, Clem., is the most significant defoliating pest of boreal balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and spruce (Picea sp.) in North America. Historically, spruce budworm outbreaks have been managed via a reactive, foliage protection approach focused on keeping trees alive rather than stopping the outbreak. However, recent theoretical and technical advances have renewed interest in proactive population control to reduce outbreak spread and magnitude, i.e., the Early Intervention Strategy (EIS). In essence, EIS is an area-wide management program premised on detecting and controlling rising spruce budworm populations (hotspots) along the leading edge of an outbreak. In this article, we lay out the conceptual framework for EIS, including all of the core components needed for such a program to be viable. We outline the competing hypotheses of spruce budworm population dynamics and discuss their implications for how we manage outbreaks. We also discuss the practical needs for such a program to be successful (e.g., hotspot monitoring, population control, and cost–benefit analyses), as well as the importance of proactive communications with stakeholders.

Derivation of Pheromone-Based Larval Thresholds in Spruce Budworm Accounting for Distance to Defoliated Forest Stands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Rhainds ◽  
Ian DeMerchant ◽  
Pierre Therrien
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
General Guideline ◽  
Number Of Males

Abstract Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clem. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the most severe defoliator of Pinaceae in Nearctic boreal forests. Three tools widely used to guide large-scale management decisions (year-to-year defoliation maps; density of overwintering second instars [L2]; number of males at pheromone traps) were integrated to derive pheromone-based thresholds corresponding to specific intergenerational transitions in larval densities (L2i → L2i+1), taking into account the novel finding that threshold estimates decline with distance to defoliated forest stands (DIST). Estimates of thresholds were highly variable between years, both numerically and in terms of interactive effects of L2i and DIST, which limit their heuristic value. In the context of early intervention strategy (L2i+1 > 6.5 individuals per branch), however, thresholds fluctuated within relatively narrow intervals across wide ranges of L2i and DIST, and values of 40–200 males per trap may thus be used as general guideline.

Spruce budworm and management effects on forest and wood product carbon for an intensively managed forest

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1736-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris R. Hennigar ◽  
David A. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Wood Product ◽  
Managed Forest ◽  
Insecticide Application ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Biological Insecticide ◽  
Intensively Managed ◽  
Forest C

An integrated forest management optimization model was developed to calculate potential spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens) effects on forest and wood product carbon (C) from 2007 to 2057 and to evaluate potential C sequestration benefits of alternative management strategies (salvage, biological insecticide application). The model was tested using simulated spruce budworm outbreaks on a 210 000 ha intensively managed forest in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Under a severe spruce budworm outbreak scenario from 2007 to 2020, harvest volume and forest and wood product C storage in 2027 were projected to be reduced by 1.34 Mm3, 1.48 Mt, and 0.26 Mt, respectively, compared with the levels under no defoliation. Under the same severe outbreak scenario, implementation of salvage and harvest replanning plus a biological insecticide applied aerially to 40% of susceptible forest area, reduced harvest, forest C, and wood product C impacts by 73%, 41%, and 56%, respectively. Extrapolation of these results to all of New Brunswick suggests that a future severe spruce budworm outbreak could effectively increase total provincial annual C emissions (all sources) by up to 40%, on average, over the next 20 years. This modeling approach can be used to identify to what extent insecticide application, as a forest-C-offset project, could result in additional C storage than without forest and pest management.

The Interaction of the Spruce Budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), and the Parasite Glypta fumiferanae (Vier.)

1960 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 839-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Miller
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Actual Number ◽  
Emergence Period ◽  
Realistic Estimate ◽  
Host Generation

This is the second of a series of papers (Miller, 1959) describing the interaction of primary parasites and the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), based on data collected during an outbreak of the budworm in northern New Brunswick during the period 1947–1958. The first paper showed that the interaction between the spruce budworm and Apanteles fumiferanae Vier. is adequately described by the general mathematicai model developed by Watt (1959). The data on the parasite Glypta fumiferanae (Vier.) to be presented in this paper are also analysed by means of Watt's model and consequently the method is essentially the same. There is, however, one important difference. In the case of A. fumiferanae, the estimated number of adult parasites was only an index based on the potential number emerging from the previous host generation. The observed density of G. fumiferanae is a more realistic estimate. It is based on the actual number of cocoons found on the foliage during the adult emergence period.

Evidence of DDT Resistance in Populations of Spruce Budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), From DDT-sprayed Areas of New Brunswick

1965 ◽  
Vol 97 (12) ◽  
pp. 1281-1293 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Randall
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Susceptible Population ◽  
Mortality Curve ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
Ddt Resistance

AbstractA series of laboratory toxicological experiments using various concentrations of oil formulated DDT solutions (AR-50/fuel oil (2:7 V/V)) was carried out on 5th and 6th instar spruce budworm larvae collected in the field from DDT-sprayed and untreated areas of New Brunswick, Canada, and Maine, U.S.A.Results obtained in 1959, 1961, and 1962 with larvae collected from isolated, unsprayed areas in New Brunswick showed a consistent, straight log-dosage probit mortality curve. Larvae collected in 1962 and 1963 from infestation centres previously subjected to three, four, and five applications of non-consecutive large-scale aerial sprays of DDT showed a significant departure from the straight log-dosage probit curve previously obtained. The departure occurs as a change in the shape of the curve as well as a shift to the higher concentration range of DDT. The magnitude of change appears to be correlated with the number of sprays to which the population was exposed. Results obtained in 1962 and 1963, from untreated control and inter-spray areas, bounded by DDT-sprayed forest lands, showed a small but significant departure from the normal straight probit line of a susceptible population. These changes are indicative of a progressive development of DDT resistance in wild populations of spruce budworm.Studies on the effect of the tolerance of spruce budworm larvae within instar classes to the action of DDT showed that the early phase of instar development immediately after moulting is more susceptible to the action of DDT, whereas the latter phase of instar development immediately prior to moulting is more tolerant to topical application of DDT than the average for the instar. This effect is evident in both susceptible and resistant populations.The data interpretation assumes that a deviation from the straight line probit dosage – mortality curve is indicative of a difference in the DDT-susceptibility factor of the budworm population and that in the course of the tests, the amount of toxicant causing mortality was not proportional to the dosage.

scholarly journals Monitoring Spruce Budworm with Light Traps: The Effect of Trap Position

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Rhainds ◽  
Edward G. Kettela
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Flight Period ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Trap Location ◽  
Median Date ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Highly Correlated

Daily records of adult spruce budworms,Choristoneura fumiferana(Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), captured at light traps at multiple locations in New Brunswick in the 1970s, are analyzed in relation to the physical position of light traps (tree canopies or forest clearings). Captures at light traps deployed in tree canopies were 4–400 times greater than those in forest clearings, especially for males. The phenology of captures (median date or duration of flight period) did not differ in relation to trap location. Captures of both males and females in tree canopies were highly correlated with egg densities, whereas no significant relationship was observed for either sex in forest clearings. Monitoring programs for spruce budworm adults using light traps should be standardized by deploying traps in tree canopies.

Biological Consequences in Streams of Aerial Spraying with Fenitrothion Against Spruce Budworm in New Brunswick

1975 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.A. Hall ◽  
D.C. Eidt ◽  
P.E.K. Symons ◽  
D. Banks
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Organophosphate Insecticide ◽  
Fish Food

Abstract The effects of the organophosphate insecticide fenitrothion in streams in New Brunswick from operational spraying against spruce budworm larvae, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), have been investigated for four years. A number of streams have been studied and several agencies have documented insecticide concentrations in streams, effects of the insecticide on benthos drift and mortality, changes in benthos standing crop, and changes in fish populations, biomass, and growth. The concentration of fenitrothion found in streams immediately following forest spraying by aircraft varies greatly and is influenced by spray regime, weather conditions, forest cover, and water depth. At application rates of 210 g/ha or two applications of 140 g/ha, fenitrothion concentrations in streams with one exception were less than 15 ppb. Concentrations in streams usually peaked within the first hour following spray application and diminished to less than 1.0 ppb within 24 to 48 hrs. Insecticide applications at 210 g/ha have resulted in measurable concentrations of fenitrothion in streams as far as 4.0 km from the area of application. Using nets, sharply increased numbers of drifting Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera were measured in several streams that had peak fenitrothion concentrations up to 7 .6 ppb, following operational sprays over all or part of the drainage basins. Benthic sampling in one stream sprayed with fenitrothion in 1971, 1972, and 1973, but not in 1974, indicated a substantial decline in benthos between 1971 and 1972, and that recovery had not occurred by 1974. Kill of arthropods in another stream, containing a peak fenitrothion concentration of 6.38 ppb, was measured using drift nets. The stoneflies Leuctra spp. , Amphinemoura spp., and the mayflies, Baetis spp. were most strongly affected, although benthos sampling did not indicate a decline in numbers. Field studies in three sprayed streams suggested that early summer increases in fish biomass may be slowed by the spray program. In field and laboratory experiments, extreme doses were necessary to affect fish behaviour and survival. Evidence indicates that at worst the forest spray program in New Brunswick may sometimes reduce normal summer increases in fish biomass through a reduction in fish-food organisms. It is concluded that in streams the consequences of spruce budworm spraying with fenitrothion by the methods and rates studied in New Brunswick are environmentally tolerable.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document