The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources is planning to undertake a Spruce Budworm Early Intervention Control Program this summer to protect forests on the Great Northern Peninsula.
The program will help prevent future outbreaks of the destructive insect and reduce the need for full treatment programs in the coming years.
Up to 40,000 hectares of forest area is scheduled to be aerially treated with one or more applications of Btk, a biological control agent commonly used in forest pest management, which has been approved for operational use by the Health Canada – Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Treatments are scheduled to start in July subject to weather conditions and insect development.
Daily information, including time, location and maps associated with treatment activities will be available at the department’s 2020 Forest Insect Control Program web page or by calling the Forest Insect Control Program Daily Update Line at 1-877-636-2996. Additional information about Btk can be viewed at the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment website.
Public signage with information about proposed treatment activity will be posted at strategic locations along access roads leading to proposed treatment areas prior to any treatment activity taking place.
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“The forests of our province provide each of us with significant economic, recreational and cultural benefits and we must ensure that this resource is managed and protected for future generations. Previous experience has taught us failure to act in a vigilant and pre-emptive manner can result in mass forest destruction from the spruce budworm. The early intervention control program we are embarking on this year reflects a proactive approach that aims to reduce future damage causing outbreaks.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources
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Media contact
Craig Renouf
Fisheries and Land Resources
709-637-2923, 640-6922
craigrenouf@gov.nl.ca