Blackheaded Budworm Threatens Highlands Forests

NATURAL RESOURCES--Blackheaded Budworm Threatens Highlands Forests

Nova Scotia forestry officials say there is a serious threat to woodlands in the Cape Breton Highlands where large populations of the blackheaded budworm have been discovered.

Based on an egg survey, Department of Natural Resources staff believe this insect, similar to the better-known spruce budworm, is in the first year of a possible four-year cycle. The budworm feeds on new foliage of balsam fir trees until depleted, when it will then feed on older growth.

"This is a serious development in the Cape Breton Highlands' forests," said Eric Georgeson, provincial entomologist. "These are the same forests that have recovered from an outbreak of the spruce budworm more than 20 years ago."

Since the devastation in the mid-1970s, the Highlands area has regenerated. Considerable planting and silviculture were conducted in the 1980s. The forest being threatened is a nine- to 12-metre (30- to 40-feet) high, well-stocked, vigourously growing balsam fir forest.

According to results of the egg sampling survey, 114,000 hectares are affected, with almost 40,000 hectares seriously affected.

Department of Natural Resources' staff are working with the Canadian Forestry Service to determine the best methods for controlling the insect. They believe the blackheaded budworm is a precursor to the spruce budworm.

A heavy infestation can completely defoliate trees, may reduce growth, and can cause widespread tree loss.