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Here are two items related to the announcement of the
Btk spraying program.
D. Orton
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Press Release by NS Dept of Natural Resources
Tussock Moth Forest Protection Program
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Natural Resources Minister Kennie MacAskill has announced a spray
program to protect thousands of hectares of woodland in central
and northern Nova Scotia from a major infestation of whitemarked
tussock moth.
"The current infestation is one of the most serious threats ever
faced by the forests of Nova Scotia," the minister said today at
the provincial Tree Breeding Centre in Debert.
"The standing value of the timber threatened by this devastating
insect is between $30 million and $60 million. It is the
equivalent of one year's supply of wood for the total forest
industry in Nova Scotia."
The biological insecticide B.t.k. (bacillus thurengiensis
kurstaki) has been approved by Health Canada for use against the
tussock moth. Approval is based on a trial conducted by Nova
Scotia Natural Resources last August, when B.t.k proved 88 to 98
per cent effective.
Some 60,700 hectares (150,000 acres) are threatened in
Colchester, Pictou, Cumberland, Antigonish and Guysborough
counties, as well as in a few areas of eastern Halifax County.
The tussock moth infestation is most severe in those six
counties.
Under the trade name Foray 48B, B.t.k. will be applied by aerial
spray starting in late June or early July. Two applications will
be made over two to three weeks.
A series of open houses will be held soon to provide woodlot
owners and the public with information about the tussock moth,
the spray program and the use of B.t.k. The open houses will take
place in Bible Hill, MacLellan's Brook, Antigonish, Guysborough
and Stillwater.
The B.t.k will be applied in remote forested areas, subject to
necessary health and environmental regulations. It has been used
successfully in forestry in Nova Scotia since the mid-1980s
against spruce budworm and hemlock looper.
In addition to its threat to woodlands, the whitemarked tussock
moth also presents some risk to human health. Airborne hairs of
the insect can irritate the skin and cause other reactions. If
breathed into the lungs, the insect hairs can cause a condition
known as tussockosis.
"B.t.k is a safe biological insecticide that is highly effective
on tussock moth and other insects that damage the forests, but it
does not pose a health risk to humans," Mr. MacAskill said.
The B.t.k. program will cost about $6 million and is funded under
the Department of Natural Resources budget for silviculture on
Crown land. Between $1 million and $2 million will be recovered
from large companies that own woodland in the infested areas.
Owners of small woodlots who choose to have their woodlands
sprayed will not be charged any fees.
"Our government is making this commitment to protect the health
of our forests, to maintain thousands of jobs and incomes, and to
secure the future of Nova Scotia's billion-dollar forest
industry," said Mr. MacAskill.
-30-
Contact: Blain Henshaw
Natural Resources
902-424-5252
E-mail: bwhensha@gov.ns.ca
ngr Apr. 17, 1998 11:45 a.m.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Daily News- Saturday, April 18, 1998
Spraying program questioned
By CATHY NICOLL -- The Daily News
The province is launching an all-out assault against the
ravenous white-marked tussock moth.
Natural Resources Minister Ken MacAskill announced
yesterday that a biological insecticide will be used against a
moth infestation expected to hit central and northern Nova
Scotia's forests hard.
"The current infestation is one of the most serious
threats ever
faced by the forests of Nova Scotia,'' MacAskill said at the
provincial Tree Breeding Centre in Debert.
About 60,700 hectares of forest are threatened in Colchester,
Pictou, Cumberland, Antigonish and Guysborough counties, as
well as a few areas in eastern Halifax County.
The biological insecticide B.t.k. (bacillus thurengiensis
kurstaki)
has been approved for use against the tussock moth by Health
Canada. Approval is based on a trial conducted last August by
the Department of Natural Resources.
The insecticide will be sprayed aerially, starting in late
June or
early July, and two applications will be made over two to
three
weeks.
Open houses will soon be held in Bible Hill, MacLellan's
Brook, Antigonish, Guysborough and Stillwater to give woodlot
owners and the public more information.
The spray program will cost about $6 million and will be paid
from the department's budget for silviculture on Crown land.
Part of the cost - $1 million to $2 million - will be
recovered
from companies that own woodland in the infested areas.
MacAskill said the spray is safe and highly effective. But not
everybody agrees.
David Orton, of Salt Springs in Colchester Co. - an area
slated
to be sprayed - said yesterday the spray will not only
kill off
other insects, it will also have an adverse effect on human
health.
"With this particular biological control, it's not
host-specific, but
affects a large spectrum of insects. It's not like it's
just the
tussock moth will be killed; so many moths and butterflies
will
be killed; they're valuable in their own right, and they also
pollinate and they're food for birds,'' said Orton.
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