News release

Tussock Moth Forest Protection Program

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

Natural Resources Minister Kennie MacAskill has announced a spray program to protect thousands of hectares of woodland in central and northern Nova Scotia from a major infestation of whitemarked tussock moth.

"The current infestation is one of the most serious threats ever faced by the forests of Nova Scotia," the minister said today at the provincial Tree Breeding Centre in Debert.

"The standing value of the timber threatened by this devastating insect is between $30 million and $60 million. It is the equivalent of one year's supply of wood for the total forest industry in Nova Scotia."

The biological insecticide B.t.k. (bacillus thurengiensis kurstaki) has been approved by Health Canada for use against the tussock moth. Approval is based on a trial conducted by Nova Scotia Natural Resources last August, when B.t.k proved 88 to 98 per cent effective.

Some 60,700 hectares (150,000 acres) are threatened in Colchester, Pictou, Cumberland, Antigonish and Guysborough counties, as well as in a few areas of eastern Halifax County. The tussock moth infestation is most severe in those six counties.

Under the trade name Foray 48B, B.t.k. will be applied by aerial spray starting in late June or early July. Two applications will be made over two to three weeks.

A series of open houses will be held soon to provide woodlot owners and the public with information about the tussock moth, the spray program and the use of B.t.k. The open houses will take place in Bible Hill, MacLellan's Brook, Antigonish, Guysborough and Stillwater.

The B.t.k will be applied in remote forested areas, subject to necessary health and environmental regulations. It has been used successfully in forestry in Nova Scotia since the mid-1980s against spruce budworm and hemlock looper.

In addition to its threat to woodlands, the whitemarked tussock moth also presents some risk to human health. Airborne hairs of the insect can irritate the skin and cause other reactions. If breathed into the lungs, the insect hairs can cause a condition known as tussockosis.

"B.t.k is a safe biological insecticide that is highly effective on tussock moth and other insects that damage the forests, but it does not pose a health risk to humans," Mr. MacAskill said.

The B.t.k. program will cost about $6 million and is funded under the Department of Natural Resources budget for silviculture on Crown land. Between $1 million and $2 million will be recovered from large companies that own woodland in the infested areas. Owners of small woodlots who choose to have their woodlands sprayed will not be charged any fees.

"Our government is making this commitment to protect the health of our forests, to maintain thousands of jobs and incomes, and to secure the future of Nova Scotia's billion-dollar forest industry," said Mr. MacAskill.


The following is intended for use by broadcast media

A six-million-dollar aerial spray program will be

carried out early this summer to protect forests in

Nova Scotia from a tussock moth infestation.

Natural Resources says the biological insecticide

B-t-k will be used.

Almost 61-thousand hectares (150,000 acres) are

threatened.

The infestation is most severe in the counties of

Colchester, Pictou, Cumberland, Antigonish and Guysborough,

and in eastern Halifax County.

B-t-k has been used in Nova Scotia since the

the mid-1980's and isn't a health risk to humans.