Budworm Population on the Decline

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the jack pine budworm population
has collapsed around Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances.
Senior forest technician Mike Dawe says natural predators,
aerial spraying and cool, damp weather last summer contributed to the pest’s downfall.
Until last summer, the budworm infestation had continued to spread north uncontrollably, affecting more than a half-million
hectares of forest.
But Dawe says a survey last fall of second stage budworm larvae confirmed the population collapse.