April 15, 1998
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)

Minister announces proposed forest protection plan

Kevin Aylward, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, today outlined his department's proposed course of action to deal with two persistent sawfly infestations on the island that pose a significant threat to the future wood supply and millions of dollars invested in silviculture. The minister announced his department has submitted for review under the Environmental Assessment Process a proposed aerial spray program against the balsam fir sawfly and the yellowheaded spruce sawfly using the chemical insecticide Dylox.

The minister noted that along with the Canadian Forest Service and industry, his department will be pursuing the development of an integrated approach to insect control pest management that will hopefully result in the development of biological control mechanisms for future use. However there is presently no biological control available which is effective against sawflies, including Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

The balsam fir sawfly infestation persists in an area west of Corner Brook and has grown from a few hectares in 1991 to cover an area of some 50,000 hectares to date, much of which is in forest stands which have been thinned to promote growth. The yellowheaded spruce sawfly infestation is located in a smaller area of some 1,200 hectares off the Bay d'Espoir highway. This infestation is of concern because it is located in an area which has been planted with black spruce seedlings and is centred in an extensive area of black spruce plantation.

The minister noted: "Dylox has been approved for use on field and vegetable crops in agriculture as well as blueberry sawfly. It has also been registered for use against the yellowheaded spruce sawfly".

"The Federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has also authorized the emergency use registration for Dylox against the balsam fir sawfly. This was necessary as the only insecticide registered for balsam fir sawfly is fenitrothion which has environmental restrictions in its application, such as a 400 metre buffer zone around water bodies, which makes its use impractical in this province."

The province is facing a wood supply shortage requiring every effort to be made to protect the existing resource against loss from fire or insects. Government and industry have spent in excess of $160 million on silviculture projects aimed at enhancing the wood supply of the province.

"It is crucial," Minister Aylward continued, "for us to protect the forest and in particular the silviculturally treated areas against the kind of loss which is being experienced through these sawfly infestations".

The minister noted that last year some 16,000 hectares of forest received silviculture treatment and over 7.5 million seedlings were planted at a cost of some $16 million, creating some 23,000 person weeks of employment. "Silviculture is an effective tool for improving the wood supply in the province but the investments cannot be justified unless we are prepared to protect the forest treated," the minister said.

Mr. Aylward said having reviewed all of the options his department has no alternative to the insecticide spray program as proposed. Action must be taken in the interest of protecting the wood supply and the rural based jobs of the many thousands of Newfoundlanders who rely on it for a livelihood.

Copies of the registration document are available through the Environmental Assessment Division of the Department of Environment and Labour.

Contact: David Wells, Communications (709) 729-6183

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BACKGROUNDER

The Threat to Our Forests by the Sawfly in 1998

Our forests are threatened again this summer by a serious infestation of the sawfly. Over 24,000 hectares of prime balsam fir and black spruce, the equivalent of a six year wood supply for the Corner Brook paper mill will be seriously impacted if nothing is done. Over half of this area has been replanted and thinned. This work, and the direct investment of some $11 million would be destroyed by the sawfly.

Until now, the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods has not undertaken any spray protection against the sawfly. But we are involved in ongoing research for a biological control solution. We were hoping that the sawfly's natural cycle would see the population collapse after 3-4 years. This has not happened. We are now dealing with a major infestation of balsam fir sawfly in Western Newfoundland in the Grand Lake and Big Gull Pond area, and in Eastern Newfoundland, near the Bay d'Espoir highway.

To date, we have not yet found an effective biological control strategy for the sawfly. Moreover, the common biological insecticide that has been applied aerially in forests against the spruce budworm and hemlock looper, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.), is not effective against sawflies.

At present, Dylox is fully registered for one sawfly in the forest setting, the yellowheaded spruce sawfly. Only one control product, fenitrothion, is registered in Canada for aerial application to control the balsam fir sawfly. However, due to the environmental restrictions involved in its application, fenitrothion is not a practical solution for Newfoundland. We are proposing to use trichlorfon or Dylox for the balsam fir sawfly. Dylox has successfully gone through the Federal Environmental Assessment process for agricultural use. It is used on a variety of ornamental, field, and vegetable crops for human consumption, including application against blueberry sawfly.

The department has obtained 'Emergency Use' registration under the federal Pest Control Products Act, administered by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada to use Dylox against the balsam fir sawfly. An emergency registration is part of the federal pesticide registration system that allows an organization to obtain permission to use a pesticide when: a pest outbreak occurs that can cause significant economic, environmental, or health problems; there is not product registered in Canada for the control of the pest; and there is no alternative control method available. Under the provisions of the federal Pest Control Products Regulations, the minister may register a control product, for a period not exceed one year, for the emergency control of such pest infestations. This emergency approval will only be acted upon if natural deterrents (such as weather) do not reduce the sawfly population to a non-threatening level.

Therefore, in 1998, we are preparing for the possibility of undertaking a limited spray program involving about 10,000 hectares of thinned and treated forest. As each hectare of treatment costs $1,000, this proposed spray program using Dylox will protect a $10 million dollar investment in the future of our forest.

For more information, or a copy of the document submitted for registration under the Environmental Assessment Act, contact:

- The Director of Environmental Assessment at (709) 729-2562 or call toll-free 1-800-563-6181

- The nearest District Office for Forestry and Wildlife, or call (709) 637-2424