Spruce Budworm

Maine SBW Task Force

  • University of Maine
  • Cooperative Forestry Reasearch Unit
  • Center for Research on Sustainable Forests
  • Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry
  • Maine Forest Products Council
  • Maine Tree Foundation

News & Events

2023 Spruce Budworm Monitoring Report released by Maine Forest Service

In 2019, pheromone trap captures peaked at an average of 67 moths per trap following a mass migration event from Canadian SBW outbreak areas. In the years following, the statewide average decreased to 36 in 2020, 16 in 2021, and remained at 16 moths per trap in 2022. In 2023, we observed another slight decrease, with the statewide average dropping to 13 moths per trap across 354 monitoring sites. This drop is primarily driven by the fact that 12 percent of sites statewide (43 sites) captured ... Read More ›

2022 Spruce Budworm Monitoring Report released by Maine Forest Service

"Despite the recent downward trend in local Maine SBW populations and activity reflected in our monitoring program, we cannot conclude that SBW populations have returned to and will remain at endemic levels in the upcoming years. As historical knowledge tells us and as evidenced in our more recent long-term dataset going back to 1992, populations are likely to continue to fluctuate. For that reason, we will continue to carefully monitor the situation and provide timely updates to our ... Read More ›

Spruce Budworm Task Force Releases Updated Executive Summary

In late 2021, the Maine Spruce Budworm Task Force held a workshop to revisit and provide progress reports on recommendations that were made in the 2016 SBW Task Force Report. Each of the seven task teams, representing different areas of research and expertise, were asked to provide updates on their work as well as prioritize future needs regarding the potential for a spruce budworm outbreak. This updated executive summary provides a number of links for those interested in newly published ... Read More ›

Spruce Budworm Early Intervention Webinar – Background, facts, current research & more!

Listen to this open house style webinar designed to inform the public on Early Intervention Strategy (EIS), a means of detecting and treating small spruce budworm "hot-spots". Learn what Early Intervention Strategy means How treatments for budworm are conducted What products are being used How Healthy Forest Partnership is ensuring safety when treatments are required Landowners in Maine are utilizing Early Intervention Strategy (EIS) to assist in keeping spruce budworm populations low ... Read More ›

2021 Spruce Budworm Monitoring Report released by Maine Forest Service

2021 marked the first year of the current spruce budworm population build-up that aerial surveys were able to detect larval feeding damage and the second year that appreciable feeding damage was detectable during ground surveys. Despite this, average spruce budworm moth capture across Maine has dropped for the second consecutive monitoring season. Results of the CFRU-led L2 survey are forthcoming and will help to shed additional light on Maine’s spruce budworm situation heading into ... Read More ›

County Ag Report (WAGM) Talks With Neil Thompson on SBW and Christmas Tree Growers

Presque Isle, Maine WAGM spoke with Neil Thompson (UMFK/CFRU) about the rising budworm population in the Saint John Valley. "Christmas tree farmers of course have a very high standard for aesthetics so when the budworm chews the leaves off the tree that can no longer be a sellable Christmas tree because the thing you’re hanging ornaments off of is halfway bare or completely bare." The University of Maine Orono has built a new L2 lab, the first of its kind in the nation. Pheromone traps ... Read More ›