Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Forest Health Conditions in Ontario 2016 Some of the information in this document may not be compatible with assistive technologies. If you need any of the information in an alternate format, please contact [email protected] Forest Health Conditions in Ontario, 2016 Compiled by: • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Science and Research Branch — Biodiversity and Monitoring Section, Forest Research and Monitoring Section, Natural Resources Information Section © 2017, Queen’s Printer for Ontario Printed in Ontario, Canada Find the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on-line at: http://www.ontario.ca For more information about forest health in Ontario visit the natural resources website: www.ontario.ca/foresthealth Cette publication hautement spécialisée Forest Health Conditions in Ontario 2016 n’est disponible qu’en anglais conformément au Règlement 671/92, selon lequel il n’est pas obligatoire de la traduire en vertu de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir des renseignements en français, veuillez communiquer avec le ministère des Richesses naturelles et des Forêts au [email protected]. ISBN 978-1-4868-0306-4 PDF ISSN 1913-617X (online) Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Contributors: Forest health technical specialists (MNRF): • Vance Boudreau • Kirstin Hicks • Vanessa Chaimbrone • Susan McGowan • Rebecca Lidster • Chris McVeety • Mike Francis • Christine Orchard • Lia Fricano • Kyle Webb • Victoria Hard • Cheryl Widdifield Scientific and program direction: • Dan Rowlinson (Field coordination) • Dave Etheridge (Regional coordination) • Dr. Richard Wilson (Pathology leadership) • Bill Towill (Regional coordination) • Dr. Taylor Scarr (Entomology leadership) • Sandra Wawryszyn (Regional coordination) Insects and disease identification: • Sylvia Greifenhagen (Ontario Forest Research Institute) – diseases • David Dutkiewicz (Invasive Species Centre) – insects Reviewing, editing, and compiling maps (MNRF) • Barry Cooke • Mike Francis • Dan Rowlinson • Richard Wilson • John Johnson • Alvaro Duran Northern Tent Caterpillar larvae 3 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry État de santé des forêts en 2016 -- Sommaire Chaque année, nous surveillons les régions forestières de l’Ontario pour savoir si des perturbations sont causées par des insectes, des maladies et des conditions météorologiques comme le vent ou la sécheresse. La surveillance de la vitalité forestière comprend : • la cartographie des régions pour documenter la superficie touchée et la gravité des dommages • la collecte d’échantillons d’insectes et de maladies pour suivre leurs traces, connaître leur importance, et tout changement survenant aux essences touchées • le constat des parasites propres aux forêts, en particulier les espèces envahissantes ou les parasites qui nuisent à la biodiversité • la réalisation ou l’aide apportée à des projets scientifiques en rapport avec la vitalité forestière • la collecte d’information sur des parcelles de longue durée afin d’évaluer la vitalité de l’écosystème forestier En 2016, les principales difficultés météorologiques ayant des répercussions sur la vitalité des forêts ont été le chablis, la pluie verglaçante et la sécheresse. Le nombre de régions où les feuilles/aiguilles des arbres ont été dévorées par la livrée des forêts a augmenté, tandis que le nombre des régions ayant perdu des feuilles à cause de la tordeuse des bourgeons de l’épinette et de la tordeuse de pin gris a diminué. Dans le Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario, les dégâts provoqués par le longicorne noir ont augmenté dans les régions endommagées par la neige en 2012. Plusieurs autres insectes ont nui aux forêts de toute la province, mais les dommages ont été minimes et localisés. En raison des conditions chaudes et sèches, une plus petite superficie a été touchée par des maladies dommageables pour les feuilles, en particulier dans le Sud. L’agrile du frêne a continué à se répandre et a été trouvé dans le Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario, pour la première fois à Thunder Bay. 4 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Introduction Forest health monitoring in Ontario is conducted as a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service (CFS). The annual forest health monitoring program has five components: • Aerial mapping of major forest disturbances to quantify their extent and severity (e.g., insect outbreaks, weather events, decline, and disease damage) • Biomonitoring through the collection of insect and disease samples to track occurrence, changes in range or host species attacked, or changes in abundance • Undertaking special surveys for pests of interests, particularly invasive species, or pests affecting high value trees, such as plantations or seed orchards • Conducting or supportingesearch r projects in forest entomology, pathology, or weather effects • Monitoring temporary and permanent sample plots to track health of forest ecosystems Forest health monitoring in Ontario includes the occurrence of native, non-native, and invasive biotic (e.g., insects, disease) and abiotic (e.g., snow and drought damage) disturbances and events. All forested area in the province, regardless of ownership, is monitored and reported on each year. Insect diagnostics were executed through a partnership between MNRF, CFS, and the Invasive Species Centre (ISC), with samples collected identified by ISC staff. The CFS supported insect diagnostics by verifying insect identification, and providing use of laboratory space and access to its insect collection. Disease samples were identified at the Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI). Results of the insect and disease collections were entered into the national database managed by CFS. Maps, tables, and graphs were produced from aerial surveys of major forest disturbances. Diplodia tip blight damage Monitoring program results were reported provincially at the Ontario Forest Health Review and nationally at the Forest Pest Management Forum. Final results and analyses are described in this report. 5 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Weather patterns Weather affects the growth, phenology (timing of different life cycle stages), dispersal, and survival of forest insects. Forest pathogens, especially leaf diseases and needle cast fungi, can be more common during wet or humid periods. Also, extreme weather events such as drought, snowfall, flooding, tornadoes, microbursts, frost, freezing, scorch, and rapid fluctuations in temperature can affect tree health, causing foliage or twig death, or tree decline and mortality. Early 2016 was warmer and drier than normal and in February the weather was variable across the province, but overall precipitation and temperature were in the normal range. March saw the earliest tornado on record in Ontario in Southern Region west of Mount Forest. On March 16, peak winds were between 155 and 175 km per hour, an Enhanced Fujita Scale One (EF1) tornado. This same system brought heavy snow to Northwest Region, with as much as 30 to 40 cm in Thunder Bay area. Temperatures were slightly warmer than normal in March. April was colder than normal and precipitation in the form of snow exceeded that in March. June and July temperatures were close to normal, but it was very dry in the southern part of the province and wetter than normal in the northwest. August weather brought higher temperatures, lots of humidity, and thunderstorms. Despite the thunderstorms, it was very dry in the southern and northeast regions and wet in Northwest Region. The heat continued into September and drought-like conditions persisted in southern Ontario. Almost 25,000 ha of drought damage were mapped in Southern Region in September. Wilting and drying of leaves, premature leaf drop, and discoloured (red) foliage were observed on rocky sites and areas with shallow soils. Warm weather continued in October with higher than normal temperatures. It was still dry in the Drought damage southern part of the province, but eastern Ontario received some relief with wetter than normal conditions. Temperatures in the first half of November were above normal and the lack of precipitation persisted, except for the area around Thunder Bay in Northwest Region. Northern Ontario saw its first snow November 18–19, followed by eastern Ontario November 20–21. December started out warm, but soon cooled and was within two degrees of normal monthly values by the end of the month. Significant amounts of snowfall were seen in snowbelt areas such as Sault Ste. Marie, Grey and Bruce counties, and the Barrie and Muskoka areas. Closer to the New Year, freezing rain occurred across the province. The 2016 weather conditions were not ideal for tree growth and health in Southern Region or southern portions of Northeast Region, but were favourable in the rest of the province. Warm temperatures in late summer and into the fall provided ideal conditions for sun loving sawflies, with several species reported across the province. 6 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Extreme weather and abiotic events In December 2015, an ice storm in Northeast Region caused trees to bend, snap, and be uprooted. Damage was not mapped until July 2016 with total area of damage estimated at 3,569 ha. Most of the damage was along roadways and forest edges, where support for tops bent by the added weight of ice encased branches is lacking. Over five times as much blowdown occurred in Ontario in 2016, compared