Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab Map
Spruce budworm background
The Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) is a native insect that can cause major damage to º£½ÇÉçÇø’s spruce-fir forests. Spruce budworm (SBW) larvae feed on the buds and needles of fir and spruce. Usually, populations of this insect are so low that SBW is hard to find. Periodically, SBW undergoes a population outbreak and becomes so abundant that serious feeding damage occurs. During the last SBW outbreak, in the 1970s – 80s, more than 7 million acres of fir and spruce were killed in º£½ÇÉçÇø and the forest products industry lost hundreds of millions of dollars1.
1. The Coming Spruce Budworm Outbreak, Initial Risk Assessment and Preparation & Response Recommendations for º£½ÇÉçÇø’s Forest Community. Spruce Budworm Task Force Report, 2016.
The Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab provides population data for º£½ÇÉçÇø’s forests
The Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab opened its doors in 2021 with support from the CFRU to monitor SBW populations. To predict SBW populations for the following year, tree branch samples are collected in the fall and submitted to the Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab. The Lab processes the branch samples and counts the overwintering stage of SBW, better known as an L2. L2 data is important for monitoring SBW activity and growing populations. Research has found that 7+ L2s per branch, per sample site, indicates that SBW populations have passed a threshold where natural enemies (parasites, pathogens, weather) can no longer keep populations low and stable.
Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab Map
L2 counts and models will be updated weekly as new samples are processed by the Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Spruce Budworm Lab. Any questions on the models should be directed to Neil Thompson, Professor of Applied Forestry at UMFK, neil.thompson@maine.edu. Additional layers are available for viewing parcel boundaries, 2023 data (º£½ÇÉçÇø & Canada), and previous models. the mapping application in a separate window. To get the most up-to-date population estimates, make sure you are viewing the most current layer.
More information on the map & L2 sampling
What do the L2 interpolation models represent?
Outputs of this model are classified into three categories: 3.5-6.5, 6.5-40.5, and >40.5 L2 per branch. Total acreage is reported for each category after erasing hardwood stands identified by remote sensing, lakes, rivers, buffers on waterbodies and streams, farm fields, and other areas without vegetation identified in the 2018/19 Crown of º£½ÇÉçÇø LiDAR flight.
How are the L2 models created?
- This model is an average of three interpolation processes: Inverse Distance Weighting, Empirical Bayesian Kriging, and a Radial Basis Function, using the 2024 L2 data as it becomes available and 2023 L2 data and spring 2024 field observations where updated data are not yet available. The points on the map show only the updated 2024 data, indicating where the model is most informative. This approach is based on the first step in the .
