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Insect and disease risk factors in established interior spruce plantations

Forest insects and diseases active in immature interior spruce stands in the central interior of British Columbia and their possible implications in forest management practices have been surveyed. Collection records, spanning the period 1949 to 1982, from the Forest Insect and Disease Survey of the Canadian Forestry Service were reviewed for the Prince George Timber Supply Area and the pest incidence in immature interior spruce stands summarized.
Twenty-two plantations, established between 1963 and 1973, were surveyed to determine the relative incidence of the major insect and pathogen pests of immature spruce in Supply Block 'G' of the Prince George Timber Supply Area. A bud midge, likely Rhabdophaga swainei Felt (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and a terminal weevil, Pissodes strobi Peck (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), were found to consistently infest and damage a significant number of immature interior spruce trees.
A spruce stand stocking profile was developed as a basis for discussion of management practices in plantations and immature stands. The stocking profile can be used in the determination of not only pest management policy decisions but in stand management decisions affecting stand density and, ultimately, merchantable yield at harvest.
The findings confirmed that forest management must be actively practiced throughout the life of a forest stand. To be successful, however, stand management guidelines and merchantable yield projections are required. These guidelines and projections must include the influences of insects and diseases upon the forest crop in their development model. This information is particularly important in the development of complete Timber Supply Area plans and for the flagging of pest hazard periods during the development of spruce forests. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/24426
Date January 1985
CreatorsCozens, Russel David
PublisherUniversity of British Columbia
Source SetsUniversity of British Columbia
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, Thesis/Dissertation
RightsFor non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

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