Gap dynamics in aspen stands of the Clay Belt of northwestern Quebec following a forest tent caterpillar outbreak

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1606-1617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Moulinier ◽  
François Lorenzetti ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Large Range ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Gap Dynamics ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Canopy Opening ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Forest tent caterpillar (FTC; Malacosoma disstria Hübner) outbreaks represent an important natural disturbance in broadleaf-dominated stands; however, their effects on forest gap dynamics are not well understood. To describe such effects on canopy gaps and tree recruitment patterns, we investigated 20 trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) dominated stands defoliated severely over 0 to 3 years during the last outbreak (1998–2003) in the northwestern Clay Belt of Quebec. Results show that canopy opening more than tripled (12.3%–43.7%) from 0 to 3 years of severe defoliation, and mean gap size was more than 12 times greater (7.2–87.5 m2) over the same gradient. Regeneration patterns suggest that aspen recruitment is not sufficient to completely restore closed canopies in stands defoliated 0, 1, and 2 years, whereas it should be sufficient in stands defoliated 3 years, where large gaps allow trembling aspen establishment. Our results clearly indicate that FTC outbreaks represent an important factor of gap formation in trembling aspen stands. At the stand level, gaps create uneven stand structures, and at the landscape level, FTC defoliation duration creates a large range of even to uneven stand structures.

CONTROL OF FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR, MALACOSOMA DISSTRIA (LEPIDOPTERA: LASIOCAMPIDAE), WITH DIMILIN®

1979 ◽  
Vol 111 (7) ◽  
pp. 841-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Retnakaran ◽  
Larry Smith ◽  
Bill Tomkins ◽  
Jeffrey Granett
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Wettable Powder ◽  
Spray Deposit ◽  
Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Better Than

AbstractDimilin (25% wettable powder) was mixed in water and sprayed from a Grumman Agcat aircraft equipped with four micronair units at the rate of 70 g (active ingredients) / 4,67 L/ha (1 oz/0.5 U.S. gal per acre) on two stands of trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx., heavily infested with forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hübner. The material was applied when the insects were in the first and second instars and the trees were starting to flush. Spray deposit analysis using a dye, Rhodamine-B, in the spray mix and spray plates in the plots indicated that conditions for spraying in the morning were better than those in the evening as expected. Total control of the forest tent caterpillar with very little defoliation of the trees was achieved.

Potential for combining sex pheromones for the forest tent caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) and the large aspen tortrix (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) within monitoring traps targeting both species

2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya L. Evenden
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
Monitoring Traps ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Choristoneura Conflictana

Trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx. (Salicaceae), is the most widely distributed tree species in North America (Perala 1990) and is considered to be an ecologically (Hogg et al. 2002) and economically important (Brandt et al. 2003) component of the boreal forest. Due to the recently increased economic value of trembling aspen (Brandt et al. 2003), the impact of native insect defoliators on tree growth and mortality has become commercially important. Two of the most significant defoliators of trembling aspen throughout its range in Canada are the forest tent caterpillar (FTC), Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), and the large aspen tortrix (LAT), Choristoneura conflictana Walker (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

White tree rings formed in trembling aspen saplings following experimental defoliation

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 1929-1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
E H Hogg ◽  
M Hart ◽  
V J Lieffers
Keyword(s):  
Tree Rings ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Early Season ◽  
June July ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Recent studies of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in western Canada have shown a correlation between past insect defoliation events and the formation of narrow, abnormally pale-coloured ("white") tree rings. The objectives of this study were to test the hypothesis that defoliation causes the formation of white rings and to examine how defoliation affects ring width and density. We experimentally defoliated 7- to 18-year-old aspen in June, July, or August 1997 and subsequently found that white rings were formed the same year in all aspen that were severely defoliated in early June. These white rings were much narrower than in adjacent trees left as controls, and mean xylem density of the white rings (0.27 g·cm–3) was significantly reduced relative to normal rings (0.35–0.40 g·cm–3). In the year following defoliation, the tree rings remained narrow, but their appearance and density had returned to normal. Aspen defoliated later in the season formed relatively normal rings in 1997, but ring widths were reduced in 1998. The results confirm that white rings in aspen can be a useful retrospective indicator of the severe, early season defoliation that is typical during major outbreaks of forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hbn.) and other insects.

Response of trembling aspen to partial cutting and subsequent forest tent caterpillar defoliation in a boreal mixedwood stand in northeastern Ontario, Canada

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1349-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongzhou Man ◽  
Gordon J. Kayahara ◽  
James A. Rice ◽  
G. Blake MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Crown Dieback ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

The growth response and mortality of trembling aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) were monitored 1, 3, 5, and 11 years after partially harvesting an aspen-dominated mature mixedwood stand in northeastern Ontario. Both diameter and height of aspen trees responded positively to harvesting. However, 3 years after harvest, the growth rates of residual aspen were severely suppressed by 3 years of moderate to severe defoliation by forest tent caterpillar ( Malacosoma disstria Hbn.). The diameter growth of surviving trees almost recovered, but due to continuous crown dieback in the 6 years after defoliation ceased, height growth did not. Over the 11 years after harvest, 70% of residual aspen died, with 80% of that mortality occurring in the 6 years after defoliation. Trees in the lower canopy and in the partial cut had higher mortality rates than those in the upper canopy and in the uncut control. Increased mortality at the individual tree level was generally associated with greater foliage loss. Aspen growth and mortality were associated with defoliation levels, particularly for trees in partial cut treatments. Partial cutting and crown class strongly influenced the response of aspen trees to insect defoliation and should be considered when selecting residual trees during harvesting.

EFFECT OF HOST AND NONHOST TREES ON THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR, MALACOSOMA DISSTRIA (LEPIDOPTERA: LASIOCAMPIDAE)

1997 ◽  
Vol 129 (6) ◽  
pp. 991-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.W. Nicol ◽  
J.T. Arnason ◽  
B. Helson ◽  
M.M. Abou-Zaid
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Growth Inhibitory ◽  
The Many ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

AbstractLarval growth and pupal parameters of the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hübner) reared on the foliage of two host trees (Populus tremuloides Michx. and Acer saccharum Marsh.) and one nonhost tree (Acer rubrum L.) were quantified. This was achieved by undertaking a larval development bioassay under controlled laboratory conditions, but using fresh leaves collected in two field seasons. Larvae fed foliage of P. tremuloides grew exponentially and began to pupate after 3 weeks. Larvae fed with A. saccharum gained significantly less weight and had a reduced number of larvae pupate, and the pupae weighed significantly less than their counterparts fed on P. tremuloides. All larvae that were fed the foliage of A. rubrum died within 2 weeks. A nutritional utilization bioassay with fourth-instar larvae revealed that the foliage of A. saccharum has a growth-inhibitory component, whereas that of A. rubrum is antifeedant. Reasons are discussed for the discrepancy between the many reports of A. saccharum being a food host for M. disstria in the field and the laboratory results.

scholarly journals Preliminary hazard rating for forest tent caterpillar in British Columbia

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 636-648
Author(s):  
Imre S. Otvos ◽  
Kangakola Omendja ◽  
Sharene Foord ◽  
Nicholas Conder ◽  
Neil Borecky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
One Year ◽  
Hazard Rating ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hübner) is a major defoliator of hardwoods throughout North America, including aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). M. disstria has been a major concern in many parts of Canada for the last two decades, but until recently in British Columbia it was considered an aesthetic concern only. However, with the increasing interest in the cultivation of hardwoods for fibre, and more recently for fuel, this insect could become a major concern in hardwood management. Records of past M. disstria outbreaks in British Columbia were summarized. The locations and intensity of six outbreaks were overlaid on biogeoclimatic units to determine which biogeoclimatic zones have experienced repeated outbreaks of M. disstria. Between 1944 and 2003, M. disstria outbreaks have become larger in extent and longer in duration. Analysis indicated that aspen stands in the Boreal White and Black Spruce (BWBS), Sub- Boreal Spruce (SBS) and Interior Cedar-Hemlock (ICH) biogeoclimatic zones have been most frequently attacked. In the BWBS zone, most affected areas (93.3%) were defoliated for only one year (lightly). In the SBS and ICH zones, areas attacked by M. disstria tended to be defoliated two or more consecutive years (40.2% and 56.2%, respectively), and had a greater chance of being more severely defoliated than aspen stands in the BWBS zone. Key words: Malacosoma disstria, forest tent caterpillar, damage, outbreaks, hazard rating

Egg hatch of forest tent caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) on two preferred host species

2012 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 756-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Gray ◽  
Don P. Ostaff
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Egg Hatch ◽  
Egg Masses ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Host Phenology ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

AbstractSynchrony between herbivore and host phenology can be an important factor in herbivore fitness. The survival of first-instar forest tent caterpillar (FTC) (Malacosoma disstria Hübner; Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) larvae and performance of surviving larvae are reduced when egg hatch and host budbreak are asynchronous. Budbreak in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michaux; Salicaceae) and largetooth aspen (Populus grandidentata Michaux; Salicaceae), two preferred hosts of FTC, differ by ∼14 days. We examined the phenological requirements of FTC egg hatch to see if an inherent difference exists between FTC egg masses on the two hosts, and if the difference would promote synchrony with each host. Egg masses from a haphazard selection of clones of each host were collected in a mixed stand of trembling and largetooth aspen in New Brunswick, Canada. Egg masses were subjected to controlled temperature regimes in the laboratory, and hatch was monitored daily. Despite the differences in host phenologies and the obvious benefits of being synchronised with host phenology, egg masses collected from trembling aspen began hatching only 3 days earlier, and completed hatching only 2 days earlier, than egg masses collected from largetooth aspen. Bet hedging is discussed as a possible strategy to explain the absence of host-specific synchrony between egg hatch of FTC and the hosts it selects for oviposition.

Outbreaks of the Forest Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hbn., and Their Effects on Stands of Trembling Aspen in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

1960 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Hildahl ◽  
W. A. Reeks
Keyword(s):  
Consistent Pattern ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Recent History ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Appreciable Effect ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Stands of trembling aspen in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are frequently attacked by the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hbn. The recent history of attack is reviewed in this paper to determine if there is evidence of a consistent pattern of outbreaks and if the latest of these had any appreciable effect on aspen stands in the two provinces.

How do primary nutrients affect the performance and preference of forest tent caterpillars on trembling aspen?

2006 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan K. Noseworthy ◽  
Emma Despland
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Preference ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Leaf Quality ◽  
Pheromone Trails ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

AbstractVariation in leaf quality includes differences in both primary nutrients and secondary metabolites. Both of these factors can influence the feeding preference and resulting performance of herbivores in ways that are difficult to disentangle when comparing foliage from different sources. Our study was designed to assess the effects of the ratio of the primary nutrients in host-tree foliage, protein and sugar, on the performance and feeding behaviour of the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)). Fourth-stadium larvae were fed trembling aspen leaves (Populus tremuloides Michx (Salicaceae)) supplemented with casein, sucrose, or buffer only (control). No differences in taste responses to the three leaf types were detected. In a cafeteria situation, feeding behaviour over the short term was largely determined by the use of pheromone trails and hence depended on which leaf was contacted first. Over the longer term, caterpillars fed most on the control leaf and the sugar-supplemented leaf and discriminated against the protein-supplemented leaf. Sugar supplementation increased survivorship relative to the control treatment but slowed development and did not affect growth; protein supplementation decreased growth. These findings are consistent with past research comparing forest tent caterpillar performance and feeding preference on different host plants.

The influence of stand and landscape characteristics on forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) defoliation dynamics: the case of the 1999–2002 outbreak in northwestern Quebec

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1827-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Charbonneau ◽  
François Lorenzetti ◽  
Frédérik Doyon ◽  
Yves Mauffette
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Contextual Variables ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Heterogeneous Landscapes ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

The forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hbn.) is an eruptive forest insect common across North America and an important defoliator of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Forest stands having suffered severe defoliations by the forest tent caterpillar over multiple years are known to incur reduced tree growth and increased tree mortality. In this study, we developed a predictive model of forest tent caterpillar defoliation dynamics using local and contextual variables expressing forest composition and structure, and their heterogeneity, at different scales. Of all scales considered (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m), contextual variables at 1500 m were found to have the greatest effect on defoliation dynamics. At this scale, we found that a greater proportion of preferred host trees in the landscape increased defoliation severity, but duration was modulated by compositional heterogeneity, where persistence was reduced in highly heterogeneous landscapes. Indeed, the likelihood of a single year of defoliation was much greater in highly diverse landscapes than the likelihood of multiple years of defoliation. These findings are consistent with ecological theory. Contrary to the expected result that older trees would be most susceptible, we found that “middle-aged” trees (~50 years) were most likely to be defoliated.

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