Protection of Silvicultural Investment

About the program

The aim of spraying with organic insecticide is to protect tracts that have benefitted from silvicultural work in order to improve the growth and quality of the trees until the epidemic subsides under the influence of natural control agents.

This new program, in place since 2018, aims to protect tracts that have benefitted from silvicultural investments, mainly pre-commercial or commercial thinnings in fir groves or plantations of white or Norway spruce. Note that plantations of black spruce and other species are not eligible for this program since these species are not considered to be vulnerable to TBT. In addition, considering the lower vulnerability of spruce to TBT, treatment prescriptions and scenarios are adjusted to achieve the same protection objective.

Selection Criteria

Several territories are likely to be affected by spruce budworm. The SOPFIM applies specific selection criteria to protect forest tracts vulnerable to attacks of the spruce budworm in managed forests of the public domain and large private forests.

The minimum area to be protected shall be of 50 ha (or 20 ha to 49 ha with a maximum distance of 100 metres between).
It must be composed of species vulnerable to TBT (balsam fir, white spruce or Norway spruce) at a percentage of at least 38% and must have benefitted from silvicultural work.

Aerial Surveys and Results

Each year, the Ministère (MRNF) conducts an aerial survey of damage caused by the spruce budworm and in Quebec forests, which allows us to assess the effectiveness of our protection programs. To be successful, our interventions must have protected at least 50% of the annual foliage on at least 70% of the eligible areas.

158 235 hectares protected by the Sylvicultural Investement Protection Program in 2023

22 824

Bas-Saint-Laurent

69 593

Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine

53 688

Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean

884

Chaudière-Appalaches

2 720

Abitibi-Témiscamingue

5 151

Côte-Nord

3 373

Capitale-Nationale