Each fall, the Maine Forest Service and the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU) at the University of Maine work with forestland owners around the state to collect sample branches from balsam fir trees for spruce budworm stage 2 larvae (SBW L2) analysis. These branches are chopped and washed in buckets, then residues are transferred to gridded filter paper discs where the SBW L2 are counted. The information garnered from these efforts provides information on spruce budworm population trends.