Spruce Budworm: was Re[2]: [NatureNS] Junco abundance

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From: Nick Hill <fernhillns@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:20:35 -0400
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Hi David, it wasn't an argument as an observation that the budworm is part
of the ecosystem and the forest community...it is a driver as is fire. With
the increase in young even aged conifer, we expect the insect to flourish.
Not my area but young even aged conifer will have a different (higher
nutrient) nutrient signature from older conifer and will attract and
sustain large budworm populations.

Managing against the grain is difficult. Difficult to keep conifer conifer
and exclude red maple, difficult to maintain even aged conifer in the
landscape without epidemic insect attacks.
Nick

On Tue, Jan 23, 2018 at 1:24 PM, David <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:

> Hi Paul, Nick & All,
>     In case you don't understand Nick; I am with Paul on this one.
>     The Budworm has been slowly building in Quebec and is sure to reach
> here eventually. When that happens the commercial value of standing Spruce
> and Fir will become negative. I don't have industry contacts but suspect
> that the rumored (and perhaps factual) current high rate of clear cutting
> is partly a reaction to the budworm threat. Native or not it is a plague
> from an economic viewpoint. Yes it renews but so does fire and clearcut.
> And want driven out-migration gives woodland to big industry for a song.
>     Back in the early 50s a common joke at Acadia ran as follows. What is
> the difference between a specialist and an ecologist ? The Specialist knows
> everything about nothing and the Ecologist knows nothing about everything.
> Some things don't change.
> Yt, DW. Kentville
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Nick Hill" <fernhillns@gmail.com>
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Sent: 1/23/2018 11:52:52 AM
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Junco abundance
>
> First principle:
> Spruce Budworm is a native species and part of an ecological complex that
> until recently did not involve Homo sapiens.
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 23, 2018 at 11:18 AM, rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca <
> rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>> Well Eric and All Sat evening I was watching a program
>> on TV The Semaine Verte - I am not perfectly fluent in French
>> but I can follow. Its always a good program on farming, forestry,  fishing
>> and so on. A common sense program!
>> Anyway that one was on the Spruce Budworm in Quebec and how it
>> was spreading. No doubt the smaller birds had lots to eat in those areas
>> where the budworm was common. When winter descended they would have
>> took off in masse and some found us in Nova Scotia.
>> The Budworm is a plague we could do without.
>> Enjoy the rain
>> Paul
>>
>> On January 20, 2018 at 5:12 PM Eric Mills <E.Mills@Dal.Ca> wrote:
>>
>> Today, January 20, my son Chris and I drove from Brier Island to the
>> Bridgewater area and to my home in Lower Rose Bay, Lunenburg Co., Our route
>> was along Hwy 217 on Long Island and Digby Neck, along 101 to the Bear
>> River turnoff, then across country via Bear River and the Virginia East
>> Road to Hwy 8, thence south to South Brookfield and Hwy 208, then W to Hwy
>> 325 and south to Bridgewater and beyond - very roughly 220 km in total.
>>
>>
>>
>> There were Juncos along the whole route, going up from the roadsides in
>> groups of 2-3 to more than 100 at a time. Our total was many hundreds, and
>> likely in the thousands. I have seen numbers like these along that route in
>> October, but January is most unusual.
>>
>>
>>
>> Circumstantial evidence for sure, but I have no doubt that these birds
>> are new arrivals in the province, probably related to stormy weather during
>> the past few days in New Brunswick. Our feeders in Lower Rose Bay seemed to
>> attract high numbers starting about the 16th or 17th, coinciding with the
>> last snowfalls.
>>
>>
>>
>> Eric L. Mills
>>
>> Lower Rose Bay
>>
>> Lunenburg Co., NS
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Dr. N.M.Hill
> Fern Hill Institute of Plant Conservation
> 424 Bentley Road, Berwick, NS, B0P 1E0
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=424+Bentley+Road,+Berwick,+NS,+B0P+1E0&entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> phone 902-698-0416 <(902)%20698-0416>
>
>


-- 
Dr. N.M.Hill
Fern Hill Institute of Plant Conservation
424 Bentley Road, Berwick, NS, B0P 1E0

phone 902-698-0416

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"">Hi David, it wasn&=
#39;t an argument as an observation that the budworm is part of the ecosyst=
em and the forest community...it is a driver as is fire. With the increase =
in young even aged conifer, we expect the insect to flourish. Not my area b=
ut young even aged conifer will have a different (higher nutrient) nutrient=
 signature from older conifer and will attract and sustain large budworm po=
pulations.=C2=A0</div><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D""><br></div><di=
v class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"">Managing against the grain is difficul=
t. Difficult to keep conifer conifer and exclude red maple, difficult to ma=
intain even aged conifer in the landscape without epidemic insect attacks.<=
/div><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"">Nick</div></div><div class=3D"=
gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 23, 2018 at 1:24 PM=
, David <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com" target=
=3D"_blank">dwebster@glinx.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=
=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padd=
ing-left:1ex"><div><div>Hi Paul, Nick &amp; All,</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 In=
 case you don&#39;t understand Nick; I am with Paul on this one.=C2=A0</div=
><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 The Budworm has been slowly building in Quebec and is s=
ure to reach here eventually. When that happens the commercial value of sta=
nding Spruce and Fir will become negative. I don&#39;t have industry contac=
ts but suspect that the rumored (and perhaps factual) current high rate of =
clear cutting is partly a reaction to the budworm threat. Native or not it =
is a plague from an economic viewpoint. Yes it renews but so does fire and =
clearcut. And want driven out-migration gives woodland to big industry for =
a song.</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Back in the early 50s a common joke at Acad=
ia ran as follows. What is the difference between a specialist and