The provincial government has wrapped up its spray program to help protect forests from the destructive spruce budworm.

Outbreak cycles of spruce budworm occur every 30 to 40 years and last several years, defoliating tens of millions of hectares of trees.

The budworm, when not controlled, can kill a spruce tree in just a few years of consecutive defoliation.

The most recent outbreak in Canada occurred on the Quebec North Shore in 2006, affecting some 3,000 hectares of forest.

The provincial government treated more than 142 hectares of forest in Newfoundland and Labrador to reduce the threat of future outbreaks.

Insect surveys are being conducted in the treated areas over the next few weeks to determine the program’s effectiveness.