The western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis, in B.C.

Dr. Lorraine Maclauchlan Forest Entomologist MFNRO Kamloops, B.C.

The western spruce budworm in B.C .

1. Biology of the budworm 2. Impacts and outbreak history in B.C. 3. Why has the budworm been so successful the past 100 years? 4. Management strategies and options Harvest and thinning B.t.k. 5. Private land options: Permits; costs; process 6. Questions and Discussion

1. Biology of the budworm

Eggs

Fall larval dispersal

Moths mate
2nd instar overwinter

Summer

Winter

Pupa Feeding larva

Spring dispersal & budmining

Choristoneura occidentalis
Western spruce budworm
Adults are mottled orange brown moths Moths disperse and mate in midJuly to early August Moths are capable of dispersing very long distances females lay one egg complement prior to dispersing

Family Tortricidae

July to mid-August

Moth lays eggs on underside of needles in a shingle-like mass

The preferred location for egg deposition is the upper third of mature, overstory Douglas-fir 1st instar larvae hatch in 10 days

New egg mass

Hatched egg masses Small larvae disperse on fine threads over tree canopy and to small trees below Budworm overwinter as 2nd instar larvae (do not feed) - referred to as L2s

 Larvae do not feed at this point spin silken shelters among lichen and under bark scales Larvae overwinter in these hibernacula

Late May early June

In early summer, larvae emerge from overwintering sites (hibernacula) and mine needles or buds As new shoots elongate & larvae feed more openly webbing themselves in the new foliage Larger larvae can back feed - consuming old & new foliage

June to late-July

 Pupae are seen JulyAugust Pupa are immobile & do not feed

Moths emerge late July-August, emit sex pheromone to attract mates

mate and begin laying eggs

Current year (new) defoliation

Chronic defoliation

2. Impacts and outbreak history in B.C.

slower tree growth and production in affected stands
topkill and mortality limited management options once severe damage is incurred highest impacts to understory and intermediate trees >51% of the IDF has a history of WSB defoliation much of remaining IDF is dominated by pine or pine/fir mixes WSB outbreak range is expanding. Therefore, harvesting and intermediate treatments must promote more vigorous, resilient and diversified stands (e.g. lower density stands)

Annual area defoliated by western spruce budworm in B.C. 1909-2011

900,000
800,000

S. Interior & Cariboo

700,000

600,000

Ha defoliated

Coast range & S. Interior

500,000

400,000

300,000

Coast range
200,000

100,000

Coastal (sea level)

History of Budworm Spray Programs in B.C (1987-2012)

900,000 Area sprayed (ha) 800,000 Area defoliated (ha)

700,000
600,000

Hectares

500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0

severity of WSB outbreak (larval density) can influence spray results insect and bud synchrony will determine how much damage is incurred prior to spraying canopy architecture influences spray deposit and therefore results operational considerations include block size (ha) and configuration, elevation range of blocks, availability of staging sites, public and F

Hectares of western spruce budworm treated with B.t.k. in 2012

Area
Okanagan Merritt Kamloops Cariboo Rock Creek Total

Hectares sprayed
26,157 24,078 2,919 44,000 10,000 107,154

Map of South Central South East B.C.

Range of Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone 4,481,634 ha IDF in B.C.

Western spruce budworm defoliation 1909-1995 <40% of IDF with a history of WSB defoliation

Western spruce budworm defoliation 1909-2010 Now >51% IDF has a history of WSB defoliation

Historic WSB defoliation and 2011 defoliation

Wells

Quesnel

Horsefly

Alexis CreekWilliams

Lake
Clearwater

Cental Cariboo 100 Mile House

Okanagan_NE
Revelstoke Clinton

LillooetAshcroft

Kamloops
Kamloops Logan Lake

Salmon Arm

Lillooet Coast
Pemberton Whistler Lytton

Vernon

Merritt

Merritt
Kelowna

Penticton Princeton Hope

Okanagan_SE

Princeton
Keremeos Osoyoos Grand Forks

VanIsle

Re-defined Geographic Outbreak Areas of Western Spruce Budworm

120,000 100,000

Lillooet

Ha defoliated

80,000 60,000

dry forests near Lillooet have the longest & most chronic outbreak history with 6 distinct outbreaks in the past century outbreaks range from a few thousand ha to >100,000 ha of annual defoliation

40,000
20,000 0

250,000

1909 1918 1924 1928 1944 1949 1955 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007

Kamloops
Budworm became a dominant force in IDFdk and xh forests around Kamloops in the late 1970s Kamloops now experiences extensive, long and often severe outbreaks
1909 1918 1924 1928 1944 1949 1955 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007

200,000

Ha defoliated

150,000

100,000

50,000

120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000

Merritt

First large-scale outbreaks recorded in the late 1970s Merritt now experiences chronic and often severe outbreaks

40,000
20,000 0

70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0

1909 1918 1924 1928 1944 1949 1955 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007

Chilcotin-Cariboo

Recent new outbreak area

First large-scale outbreak recorded in early 2000s

Outbreaks are severe in part due to stand structure and density

1909 1918 1924 1928 1944 1949 1955 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007

Coast outbreak

Layer 1 - low mortality

Layer 2 - low mortality, moderate topkill

Layer 3 - highest mortality & topkill Layer 4 - high mortality in suppressed trees and regeneration

3. Why has the budworm been so successful the past 100 years?

changing, warmer climate in Douglas-fir habitat

fire suppression; harvest of large, old dominant overstory trees; loss of pine (MPB) humans have dramatically changed the density, structure and composition of B.C.s inland forests

Environmental: changing, warmer climate in Douglasfir habitat (notably in the spring during L2 dispersal and budmining) Human intervention: fire suppression; harvest of large, old dominant overstory trees; loss of pine (MPB outbreak) all this leading to a structure and canopy development conducive to budworm success The insect: the budworm can disperse greater distances and still encounter favourable habitat; highly fecund and mobile insect; typically scattered, endemic populations are now attaining outbreak levels over far wider geographic ranges

Impacts of changing outbreak dynamics

Are host trees conditioned to budworm (resilience, synchrony)? Are outbreaks more persistent?

Are impacts more severe?

Stand west of Princeton

assessed impact from budworm defoliation first defoliated 2002, then 2005-06 and 2008-09 (total 5 yrs) selectively harvested and now multi-layered, predominated by intermediate size trees with patchy regeneration high hazard to budworm

IDFxh2 with a history of 8 years of defoliation

4. Management strategies and options

Harvest and thinning B.t.k.
Define landscape and stand level goals in high hazard budworm areas.
Hazard rate IDF and other susceptible ecosystems: stand structure and age species composition density (by canopy layer) elevation and aspect budworm defoliation history geographic outbreak area

Intermediate stand treatments:

thinning to create stand diversity and lower density in understory layers ($1,200 - $1,600 per ha) spray with a biological insecticide (B.t.k.) to reduce budworm populations and minimize damage ($30-$35 per ha for MFLNRO).

Harvesting could include selection cuts; patch cuts; partial cuts; seed tree cuts Emphasize diversity and structural resilience

Bacilus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.)

Bacillus thuringiensis is a rod-shaped bacterium that
occurs naturally on dead or decaying matter in soil. It was first isolated in 1902 from diseased silkworm larva.

B.t. var kurstaki (B.t.k.) -

highly specific to Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), with no effect on other insects. FORAY 48B (B.t.k.) is registered for budworm and tussock moth.

FORAY 48B is may be used in certified organic production (OMRI)

OMRI=Organic Materials Review Institute

B.t.k. begins to work after a larva eats a piece of leaf with B.t.k. crystal proteins and spores on it.
When the crystals reach the larvaes gut, they dissolve in the alkaline conditions (above ~pH 9.5) and release the proteins contained in the crystal. Larvae cease feeding within about 30 minutes of ingesting B.t.k. - the proteins disrupt the lining of the gut, which causes the caterpillar to starve.

Humans and other mammals have highly acidic environments in their stomachs that destroy B.t.k. before it can causes infection. Because the B.t.k. endotoxin requires extremely alkaline conditions to become active (such as those found in the guts of caterpillars), B.t.k. does not affect animals with acidic stomach environments such as birds, fish, and mammals.

Gypsy moth larvae

A commercial B.t. product was first registered in the United States in 1958; by 1960 it was cleared for use on food crops and in 1961 it was registered for use in Canada.
It is now the most widely used naturally occurring pest control product in the world.

B.t. is not a synthetic chemical.

B.t. products contain highly specialized protein crystals

and dormant spores of bacteria. These are only activated when they are eaten by a susceptible species of insect. Unlike broad spectrum insecticides, B.t. is highly specific affecting only certain groups of insects and has no effect on others invertebrates or animals.

Direct control considerations for Western spruce budworm

Foray 48B (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, or B.t.k.) Why would you spray?

Where would you spray?

When would you spray?

Who decides to spray and holds Permits?

Why would you spray?

reduce resident population of budworm reduce incremental and height loss prevent tree mortality increase tree and stand resiliency

maintain property values

Where would you spray?

areas with 2 consecutive years defoliation

high value stands (managed, woodlots, recreation)

where tree mortality imminent population predicted to be high in coming season

When would you spray?

when levels of predicted tree mortality becomes unacceptable when growth loss becomes unacceptable

when fir beetle populations are building

When visual landscape is unacceptable social and recreational considerations when perceived fire risk is unacceptable

Spray Challenges:
severity of WSB outbreak (larval density) can influence spray results
insect and bud synchrony will determine how much damage is incurred prior to spraying canopy architecture influences spray deposit and therefore results

operational considerations include block size (ha) and configuration, elevation range of blocks, availability of staging sites, public and First Nations considerations, weather

Efficacy of a spray program can be evaluated in numerous ways:

Larval mortality (determined through per- and post-spray larval sampling) Foliage protection (degree of defoliation to current year shoots/foliage)

Budworm population suppression usually determined by the fall WSB population estimates (egg mass sampling) and following year defoliation in the general area of treatment

Budworm larval density (# larvae per m2 foliage) at the pre-spray sampling has increased over time:
1987 - average 100 larvae/m2

2012 - average >200 larvae/m2

Recap:
stands are more suitable now than 100 yrs ago budworm is able to reach outbreak levels more frequently and over expanded ranges larval and bud phenology are critical to success

better climatic conditions allowing range expansion

impacts can be severe after only a few years of defoliation