Spruce Budworm Control Requires URGENT Attention
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
The Situation:
• Right now, there is a spruce budworm infestation in Québec of about 7 million hectares in size and growing, the same size as the total landmass of New Brunswick.
•The outbreak will spread to New Brunswick and throughout Atlantic Canada if we don’t act now.
• Many of us remember how devastating the last budworm outbreak was in the 70s and 80s. Millions of hectares of forest were lost. We need to do everything we can to prevent this from happening again.
The Consequences:
• More than 20,000 Atlantic Canadians work in the forestry industry today.
• If we do nothing, the economic costs of a spruce budworm outbreak will be more than $15 billion over the next 40 years.
• This will mean the loss of thousands of jobs, the closure of mills, and dead forests very susceptible to fire throughout much of the region.
The Solution:
• Scientists with the Canadian Forest Service and several universities in the region have developed an innovative early intervention strategy to detect and treat populations of spruce budworm before they reach outbreak levels.
• The strategy has been implemented and tested since 2014, thanks to a partnership of industry, researchers, and government. It's working so far, but we can’t stop now.
• We need the Government of Canada to commit to being a funding partner to continue the early intervention strategy.
The Ask:
• We need your help.
• Please visit https://actforhealthyforests.ca/ (English Website) or https://actionsanteforets.ca/ (French Website) to send your MP and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr a letter expressing your support for the early intervention strategy. And invite others to do the same. The on-line tool will assist you to compose and send the letter with a just a few clicks of your mouse.
• We need to show the federal government how important healthy forests are to our region and our industry, and strongly state that we need their help to protect them.
Contact ABSDA for additional support information regarding this urgent issue.
Back to Building Supply Update
