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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

Ants Attacking Larvae of the Forest Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hbn. (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

1950 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 194-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. Green ◽  
C. R. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Formica Fusca ◽  
Tent Caterpillars ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

During field studies of the behaviour of larvae in colonies of Malacosoma disstria Hbn., it was observed that two species of ants, Camponotus herculeanus ligniperdus (Latr.) and Formica fusca L., were common on the twigs of the small trees, Populus tremuloides Michx., on which the caterpillars were established. Ant nests were common near the bases of trees, and the worker ants climbed the trunks and moved along the branches either to forage or to tend aphid colonies. When the tent caterpillars were small, they were frequently attacked by the ants. There were two distinct types of attack: one the result of foraging by worker ants and the other the result of defence of aphid colonies by the ants.

Influence of stocking, site quality, stand age, low-severity canopy disturbance, and forest composition on sub-boreal aspen mixedwood carbon stocks

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Reinikainen ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
John B. Bradford ◽  
Shawn Fraver
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Forest Tent Caterpillar ◽  
Canopy Disturbance ◽  
Tent Caterpillar

Low-severity canopy disturbance presumably influences forest carbon dynamics during the course of stand development, yet the topic has received relatively little attention. This is surprising because of the frequent occurrence of such events and the potential for both the severity and frequency of disturbances to increase as a result of climate change. We investigated the impacts of low-severity canopy disturbance and average insect defoliation on forest carbon stocks and rates of carbon sequestration in mature aspen mixedwood forests of varying stand age (ranging from 61 to 85 years), overstory composition, stocking level, and site quality. Stocking level and site quality positively affected the average annual aboveground tree carbon increment (CAAI), while stocking level, site quality, and stand age positively affected tree carbon stocks (CTREE) and total ecosystem carbon stocks (CTOTAL). Cumulative canopy disturbance (DIST) was reconstructed using dendroecological methods over a 29-year period. DIST was negatively and significantly related to soil carbon (CSOIL), and it was negatively, albeit marginally, related to CTOTAL. Minima in the annual aboveground carbon increment of trees (CAI) occurred at sites during defoliation of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) by forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hubner), and minima were more extreme at sites dominated by trembling aspen than sites mixed with conifers. At sites defoliated by forest tent caterpillar in the early 2000s, increased sequestration by the softwood component (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) compensated for overall decreases in CAI by 17% on average. These results underscore the importance of accounting for low-severity canopy disturbance events when developing regional forest carbon models and argue for the restoration and maintenance of historically important conifer species within aspen mixedwoods to enhance stand-level resilience to disturbance agents and maintain site-level carbon stocks.

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