The Government of Quebec announced an investment of $20 million in an aerial spray program of biological insecticide against the spruce budworm (TBE) to support small private forests, jobs and regions.
This new aerial spraying program aims to protect state investments that have been made since nearly 30 years in private forests of less than 800 ha (plantations and thinnings) and to develop expertise in the protection of small private forests, where the planning and preparation of interventions are much more complex than in public forests. The Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) has mandated SOPFIM to implement an aerial spray program. Work to determine eligible areas and owners began in summer 2017 and will continue until March 2027.
Several territories are likely to be affected by the spruce budworm. SOPFIM applies specific selection criteria to protect the most threatened private forests.
There are several benefits from spruce budworm treatments, both environmentally and economically.
