7 January, 2019
Quebec, October 10th 2018 – Spread between the North Shore, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie, it is an area of nearly 338 000 hectares that has been treated by the SOPFIM’s protection program, on both public and private lands. Following the aerial spraying from mid-July to mid-August, the Ministry of Forests Wildlife and Parks fixed an aerial survey of the annual defoliation caused by the budworm spruce.
During an epidemic period, this inventory identified and defined the forest areas who are defoliated by the insect. This exercise helps guide the MFFP’s overall intervention strategies, including the use of aerial sprays of biological insecticides (Btk ).
The annual target for an aerial application program of biological insecticide is to protec 50% of the foliage of the current year (defoliation ≤ 50%). In general, a program is satisfied when we achieves this protection objective on a minimum of 70% of the treated areas (MFFP target objective).
For the public forest protection program, overall, the MFFP’s aerial assessment shows that 97% of the protected area (324,743 ha) has reached the annual objective of foliage protection.
|
Zero defoliation 0 % |
Light defoliation 1 – 34 % |
Moderate Defoliation (-) 35 – 49 % |
Moderate Defoliation ( ) 50 – 69 % |
Serious defoliation 70 – 100 % |
|||||
|
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
|
17 |
0,0 |
274 105 |
84,4 |
39 676 |
12,2 |
9 731 |
3,0 |
1 214 |
0,4 |
According to the four regions concerned by the program, Bas-Saint-Laurent (104,391 ha), Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (70,062 ha), Côte-Nord (81,068 ha) and Gaspésie-Îles -de-la-Madeleine (69,222 ha), the survey shows results of 99%, 99%, 93% and 93%, respectively. Depending on the four TBT host species involved in the program, balsam fir (BSA), white spruce (EPB), black spruce (EPN) and Norway spruce (EPØ), the survey indicates levels of success of 97%, 99%, 100% and 100%, respectively. For a tenth consecutive year, and a first in private forest, SOPFIM has demonstrated expertise in the direct protection of forests against the budworn spruce. At the private forest level, the MFFP aerial assessment shows that 99% of the areas treated on an operational basis (12,407 ha) have reached the annual objective of foliage protection. These results can be explained mainly by a targeted localization of the treated areas, the use of specific equipment for the private forest and a very favorable meteorology during the spraying, and this, in spite of a late departure of the interventions.
|
Zero defoliation 0 % |
Light defoliation
1 – 34 % |
Moderate Defoliation (-) 35 – 49 % |
Moderate Defoliation ( ) 50 – 69 % |
Serious defoliation 70 – 100 % |
|||||
|
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
(Ha) |
(%) |
|
1 |
0,0 |
12 082 |
97,4 |
239 |
1,9 |
59 |
0,5 |
26 |
0,2 |
According to the four regions concerned by the TBE-PFP program, namely Bas-Saint-Laurent (10,759 ha), Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (1,335 ha), Côte-Nord (31 ha) and Gaspésie -Îles-de-la-Madeleine (283 ha), the survey shows success levels of 100%, 100%, 0% and 100% respectively. The results observed in the Côte-Nord region are mainly due to the state before treatment of the targeted areas in the 2018 program.
At least four years of moderate or severe defoliation are observed and a note from the Regional Forest Advisor mentions major defoliation in 2015 and 2016. Considering that balsam fir is by far the most vulnerable species, there is no doubt that the objective becomes difficult to reach. According to the three species of hosts of the TBE concerned by the program in small private forest, either balsam fir (BSA), white spruce (EPB) and Norway spruce (EPØ), the survey shows success levels of 94%, 100% and 100%, respectively. Despite the good results of the 2018 program the epidemic is not going away and SOPFIM will have to continue to do everything possible to protect our forests.