The department of forestry says damage caused to trees across the island this summer is the result of insects, and not, as some might think, extreme dry conditions last year.
The department says eastern spruce budworm, hemlock looper and balsam fir sawfly are the main culprits, affecting a number of species in the province’s boreal forest.
Officials say forestry staff focused on insects and disease are working with the federal government to track potential invasive insect species entering the province, and are monitoring other forest pests that go through natural population cycles.
The island is currently in the midst of a spruce budworm outbreak.
IVOCM News)
Among the species officials are watching for are the birch leaf miner, the white-marked tussock moth and the fall webworm. Although those insects have less of an impact on commercial forest species, the public may notice the damage they cause.
The department says between 2020 and 2025, the province treated close to 600,000 hectares of forest with the biological insecticide BTK.
Officials are using remote sensing technology and field work to map the extent of current defoliation. The information gathered will be used in next year’s pest management strategy.
