Spruce budworm spraying planned for Cariboo region

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

Up to 17,000 hectares of Douglas fir forest in the Williams Lake and 100 Mile House timber supply areas will be aerially treated to reduce western spruce budworm populations.

The biological insecticide Foray 48B will be applied by aircraft from approximately June 5 to July 5, 2019, depending on weather conditions. The following proposed treatment sites are located in the 100 Mile House and Cariboo-Chilcotin natural resource districts:

• White Lake area west of Williams Lake
• Meldrum area west of Williams Lake
• Till Lake southwest of Williams Lake
• Lower Meldrum southwest of Williams Lake
• Felker Lake south of Williams Lake
• Colpitt south of Williams Lake
• Canoe North east of 100 Mile House

The western spruce budworm is an insect native to B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. In its larval stage, it defoliates Douglas fir, true firs, spruce and larch trees. A budworm outbreak has the potential to seriously harm or kill trees over large areas.

The Pest Management Plan and maps of the treatment areas can be viewed at the Cariboo Region Forest Health Program office in Williams Lake. The office is located at 640 Borland St., Suite 200.

The maps of the proposed treatment areas in the Cariboo are available online:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/forest-health/forest-pests/defoliators/western-spruce-budworm/current-treatments?

The 2017-21 pest management plan for the southern Interior is also available online:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/forest-health/southern-interior-program/pmp_forest_health_southern_interior_sep_6_2017.pdf

Foray 48B is a biological insecticide widely used in British Columbia and is registered with the Organic Materials Review Institute. The active ingredient in Foray 48B is the naturally occurring bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk).

This spray affects only moth and butterfly larvae feeding at time of spray and can be used safely around humans and other animals. Birds, household pets, fish and beneficial insects, including honeybees, are not affected.