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Forest Pests in Canada
Annual timber losses in Canada due to insects have been estimated at 65 million cubic metres, and the surface area defoliated annually by insects is said to be several times larger than the area harvested by Canada’s $74 billion forestry industry. Despite the high degree of insect predation in Canada’s forests an average of only 2% of affected stands are sprayed for insects every year.
Table 1 reports the most significant forest pests since 1988. Figure 1 reports the total area treated for forest pests in Canada since 1988. The following trends are manifest:
• Approximately 200 000 hectares are being treated annually, since the large budworm outbreaks of the 1970s and 1980s when millions of hectares were treated annually
• While a broad range of synthetic insecticides are available for control of forest pest insects, there has been a dramatic shift toward bio-pesticides, primarily Bt
• The bio-pesticide Bt now represents approximately 90% of the total insecticides presently used in Canada’s forests
Table 1. Major forest insect pests of Canada, 1975-2004
Source: http://nfdp.ccfm.org/compendium/index_e.php
Figure 1. Total area treated for insects in Canadian forests, and area treated with Bt during the same period (1988-2003)
