OverviewReforestation is an important forest management activity in British Columbia, with approximately 250 million trees planted annually in the province. Most planted trees are grown from seed collected from natural stands or harvested in seed orchards. The Ministry of Forests and Range has established a goal of increasing the percentage of seedlings produced from orchards to 75% of the total by the year 2013. Seed orchards are the culmination of considerable investment in tree breeding efforts aimed at increasing economic gains through improved tree growth and quality. Insects that feed on cones and seeds are some of the greatest threats to the productivity of seed orchards and to our ability to meet deployment targets of genetically improved stock. Losses can be very costly. For example, in 2004, the Douglas-fir coneworm (Dioryctria abietivorella) caused seed losses of more than $600 000. The Cone and Seed Pest Research Program is improving our knowledge of pest species and their life histories, and developing management techniques to reduce yield losses in seed orchards. The program is relatively new, with an office and laboratory established at the Kalamalka Research Station in 2006.
The Cone and Seed Pest Research Program is guided by a technical advisory committee of the Forest Genetics Council. It is collaborative in nature, working closely with District, Regional, and Branch staff, as well as many partners in industry and academia. With about half of provincial seed orchard operations privately owned, the program greatly improves industry competitiveness by protecting seed orchard investment, thereby enhancing reforestation investments and long-term volume gains.
Research HighlightsEstablished a provincially mandated Cone and Seed Pest Research Program, including an office, a laboratory, and novel research projects. These projects are highly collaborative in nature, and represent the first such dedicated research program in British Columbia. Because most seed orchard acreage is located in the interior of British Columbia, the program is based at the Kalamalka Research Station. Established a host-finding study for the western conifer seedbug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, in partnership with the Gerhard Gries laboratory at Simon Fraser University. This project seeks to understand how the insects find cones, and has strong management implications for monitoring and controlling this insect. A major breakthrough in 2007 was the discovery that Leptoglossus finds cones by detecting the infrared radiation they emit.
Established a long-term mark-release-recapture project for Leptoglossus occidentalis. This study will improve our understanding of the migration rates of the insects, their dispersal and dispersion patterns, and population densities. Our first 2 years of study determined methods of marking, releasing, and handling insects, as well as preliminary data on dispersal and population dynamics. In collaboration with the University of Northern British Columbia, a Master's student will start working on this project in 2008. Continued our life history study of Adelgids, aphid-like insects that feed on spruce and other conifers. This study, in co-operation with a Master's student at the University of British Columbia, will characterize the insect’s life history, damage, dispersal, and host species associations. We found that two species (of a total of 11) dominate seed orchard populations, and that a combination of overwintered and newly hatched adelgids were required to initiate galls. Completed a life history and pheromone characterization study of the Douglas-fir coneworm, Dioryctria abietivorella, in co-operation with the University of California at Riverside and the Canadian Forest Service. Effective pheromone trapping protocols were developed, and a description of phenological trends across British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest was produced. Established a long-term study on the reproductive behaviour of Dioryctria abietivorella, in collaboration with a Master’s student at the University of Alberta. This project will seek to describe life history traits such as overwintering, mate-finding, and oviposition habits, and the influence of pheromones and host volatiles, leading to means of non-chemical control of this important pest. Continued our systemic pesticide trials to test sprayable and injectable formulations at both interior and coastal British Columbia sites. Results in 2007 were hampered by poor cone set and injection equipment problems. Trials will be improved and repeated in 2008. Started or continued several in-house projects, including a trial of irrigation effects on susceptibility of lodgepole pine to mountain pine beetle, a damage severity survey and long-term effects trial of Synanthedon sequoiae, and a description of a newly discovered natural enemy of larch adelgids. ConsultationsForest Genetics Council, Cone and Seed Pest Management Technical Advisory Committee—Guides prioritizations and budget allocations for research in British Columbia. Ongoing consultation to the Research Branch, the Tree Improvement Branch, Regional entomologists, and private industry throughout British Columbia on management of cone and seed insects. Ongoing consultation to other cone and seed pest research laboratories throughout North America—collaborative projects, ideas, and hypothesis generation. Pest Management Regulatory Agency—involved in registering pesticides with this federal agency. Involvement with national and international research bodies: Western Forest Insect Work Conference (WFIWC) and International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).Recent Publications2008Strong, W.B., J.G. Millar, G.G. Grant, J.A. Moreira, J.M. Chong, and C. Rudolph. 2008. Optimization of pheromone lure and trap design for monitoring the fir coneworm, Dioryctria abietivorella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 126: 67-77. Takács, S., S. Hamilton, W. Strong, R. Bennett, and G. Gries. [2008]. Hot cones on cool trees: cone-feeding insects detect infrared radiation as a foraging cue. Proc. Royal Society. Submitted. Takács, S., K. Hardin, G. Gries, W. Strong, and R. Bennett. [2008]. Vibratory communication signal produced by male western conifer seedbugs (Hemiptera: Coreidae). Can. Entomologist 140(2). In press. 2007Strong, W.B. 2007. Cone and seed research report. Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia, TICTalk 8(1). Dec 2007: 24-28. 2006Corrigan, J., M. Carlson, G. Giampa, V. Berger, C. Walsh, and W. Strong. 2006. They’re heeeere! – Observations of the first mountain pine beetle attacks recorded at the Kalamalka Forestry Centre. Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia, TICTalk 7(1):4–8. Strong, W. 2006. Seasonal changes in seed reduction in lodgepole pine cones caused by feeding of Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera: Coreidae). Can. Entomologist 138:888–896. 2005Millar, J.G., G.G. Grant, J.S. McElfresh, W. Strong, C. Rudolph, J. D. Stein, and J.A. Moreira. 2005. (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-Pentacosapentaene, a key pheromone component of the fir coneworm moth, Dioryctria abietivorella. J. Chem. Ecol. 31(5):1229–1234. Ministry ContactWard Strong, Research Scientist (Kalamalka)
Ministry contact: Alvin Yanchuk |
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