DIFORESTST BIOLOGYRICT RANGER REPORTS DISTRICT REPORTS ONTARIO FOREST FOREST INSECT LABORATORY 1957 U.BRARY TORY FOREST cANADA DEirEt\ETM;: (...;JE FORESTRY TORIA, B,C, TABLE OF CONTENTS Page REPORT OF FOREST BIOLOGY RANGERS Foreword, J.E. MacDonald 1 SOUTHEASTERN FOREST REGION (L.S. MacLeod) 4 Lindsay District, L.S. MacLeod 10 Tweed District, L.S. MacLeod, and M.X. Thompson 19 Kemptville District, M.J. Thompson 27 SOUTHWESTERN FOREST REGION (H.G. McPhee) 36 Lake Simcoe District, H.G. McPhee 49 Lake Erie District, H. R. Foster 58 Lake Hur on District, D.F. Lynn 68 SOUTH-CENTRAL FOREST REGION (A.A. Harden) 80 North Bay District, A.A. Harnden 93 Pembroke District, H.J. Weir 106 Parry Sound District, D.G. Grisdale 119 CENTRAL FOREST REGION (W.J. Miller) 141 Sudbury District, J.R. McPhee 152 Sault Ste. Marie District, W.J. Miller 164 Chapleau District, R.L. Bowser 182 Gogama District, C.A. Barnes 192 White River District, L.R. Moore 205 NORTHERN FOREST REGION (F.A. Bricault) 212 Kapuskasing District, F.A. Bricault 218 Cochrane District, F.A. Bricault 223 Swastika District, J. Hook 235 MID-WESTERN FOREST REGION (LC. Hall) 241 Port Arthur District, K.C. Hall 249 Geraldton District, WA. Horricks 260 WESTERN FOREST REGION (P. E. Buchan) 265 Sioux Lookout District, P.E. Buchan 275 Kenora District, D.T. Bowen 284 Fort Frances District, M.J. Hildebrand 294 FOREWORD J. E. MacDonald One long-range objective of the Forest Insect Survey is to keep up-to-date and accurate records of insect populations, with the view to establishing periods of abundance and scarcity of the important species, and eventually forecasting outbreaks. When available, this information will have many practical uses, not the least being adjustments in forest management plans, the organization of surveys, research projects, and possible control measures in advance of heavy infestations. Already records show that the build-up and decline of in- festations of certain insects are cyclic in nature, with periods of abundance and scarcity occurring at more or less regular inter- vals. For instance, spectacular outbreaks of the forest tent cater- pillar have been reported periodically for almost a century, and although early reports are fragmentary, it is apparent that heavy infestations have occurred about every ten years for many decades, This, of course, is an outstanding example since relatively few in- sects exhibit as wide and obvious a range in population levels. However, with continued improvement of sampling techniques and a better understanding of population dynamics, trends of insect popu- lations which show much less abrupt changes will in time also be determined and their implications evaluated. Experience has shown that insect populations are greatly in- fluenced by weather cycles and fires. For example in 1957 an ex- tremely heavy infestation of the black army cutworm flared up in the White River area northeast of Sault Ste, Marie where fires had occurred in 1948 and 1955, Details of this unusual and interesting outbreak are given in the report for the Sault ste. Marie District which follows. The influence of weather on insect populations has been demonstrated numerous times in recent years. A more and more precise measurement of the effect of these factors will be possible as the results from sampling techniques now in use and others which will be devised and employed in the future are analysed. Insect survey highlights in 1957 include the spread of spruce budworm infestations in the Port Arthur District, the widespread occurrence of large aspen tortrix infestations, and the decline of European pine shoot moth infestations in parts of southern Ontario. Infestations of these, and other important forest insects are dealt with in district and regional reports. On the whole, the quality of insect samples submitted to the laboratory in Sault Ste, Marie in 1957 was good, A total of 8,915 collections was received, of which 617 were made by Department of Lands and Forests personnel, Forest Biology rangers submitted a total of 498 tree disease samples to the Forest pathology Laboratory at Maple, A summary of insect and tree disease samples follows, Summary by Forest District of Insect and Tree Disease Collections Submitted from all Sources in Ontario in 1957. ' co 4, K1 ■D g 0 , Y .,,, 11 t ..-4 ,--4 0 i CI 0 0 S Pe 4,0 V. 0 0 fr.4 .0 0 i "t04. W 4 3 11 a 0 tr) 0 .4 r-4 F4 ' r... BY WHOM SUBMITTED ra 1 fk, b 0 4 m g +. no 0 Si S 0 0 ,A t.. .0 cZ o ... 0 0 +. ,g 0 0 gr g 1 1 V M M 1 .,-, 8 g o _.- .2 14 c; ; .:1 0 0 Pci 0 M .4 .1 1-1 :4 Z a4 :34 to to ca rn E-1 Forestry Number of 8 0 15 9 5 4 2 50 112 17 18 10 20 23 16 16 54 insect 16 7 16 3. 6 personnel collections submitted Number of independ- 6 0 6 3 6 3 1 13 2 5 11 7 10 7 11 9 39 personnel 3 2 13 4 3 ently involved Forestry personnel with 47 10 73 2 19 15 19 0 10 1 13 3 32 3 16 0 8 0 9 0 10 0 forest biology rangers Forest Insect biology collections 480 309 275 323 441 292 183 378 465 401 289 308 519 513 392 322 540 314 538 335 233 357 rangers Tree independ- disease ently collections 12 47 20 13 8 32 1 27 28 15 8 17 93 37 25 10 29 12 24 30 10 0 Insect collections by other entomological 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 15 2 11 0 0 0 0 0 61 1 1 0 0 0 personnel Insect collections by I 0 1 other coco-operators- 2 6 1 1 1 0 2 1 3 6 11 2 0 0 4 2 2 1, 0 1 including woods operators) INTRODUCTION Southeastern Forest Region The decline in European pine shoot moth infestations noted in the autumn of 1956 continued in 1957, No insects were found in check plots in the Northumberland County Forest where an experimental hand-picking control program was instituted in 1956, Very low populations were found in plantations through Durham County, Larch sawfly populations in the region remained at approximately the same level as in 1956 with slight declines in infestation intensity at several points in the Tweed District, In the spring of 1956 chemical control measures were taken against the white pine weevil by the Department of Lands and Forests in the Victoria County Forest, Examination of sprayed and unsprayed plots in the late summer of 1957 revealed that good control had been obtained, Two species of agricultural insects heavily damaged seed- lings in the Provincial Tree Nursery at Orono, The strawberry root weevil, Brachyrhinus ovatus (L,) attacked the roots of red pine in seed beds and white grubs (June beetle larvae) caused mortality of white pine in transplant beds, The early foliage of many species of deciduous trees was blackened by severe spring frosts, occurring as late as may 17- 18, Conifers planted along highways were occasionally damaged by salt used in winter to keep roads clear of ice and snow, Forest pathology projects included general surveys for Fomes annosus, Polyporus tomentosus-circinatus complex, Septobasidium pini and balsam-fir dieback, The first two of these diseases were not found in the region in 1957, During the field season 724 insect collections and 28 forest pathology samples were submitted to the Forest Insect and Forest Pathology laboratories; and 15 mass collections were made for detailed population and pathological investigations, Co-operation by Department of Lands and Forests staffs aided in the detection of infestations and general survey work, Considerable time was spent in answering service and extension calls in 1957, k total of 62 extension calls were dealt with by forest biology rangers, 54 of which originated in the Lindsay District, L, S, MacLeod, STATUS (IF INSECTS AND TREE DISEASES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN FOREST REGION INSECTS European Pine Shoot Moth, Rhyacionia buoliana Schiff. Larch Sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii TREE DISEASES Septobasidium pinicola Balsam-fir Dieback Ceratocystes ulmi Summary of Miscellaneous Tree Diseases STATUS OF INSECTS European Pine Shoot Loth, Rhyacionia buoliana Schiff„ in Southern Ontario Pronounced reductions in population levels of the European pine shoot moth occurred at several points in southern Ontario in 1957, Overwintering mortality, parasites, predators and disease were partly responsible for these declines, Studies to determine the effect of these and other mortality factors will be continued by research officers at the Elmira Field Station, In the eastern part of the Lake Erie District and in the southern parts of the Lake Huron and Take Simcoe districts plantations which had been heavily infested for several years were only lightly attacked, The decline in population levels reported in the Lindsay District in 1956 continued in 1957. The shoot moth was not found in the Parry Sound and Pembroke districts in 1957, STATUS OF INSECTS Larch Sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg,) Although declines in population intensities of the larch sawfly occurred at several points in the Tweed District, increases in distribution were evident in the region in 1957. The sawfly was found in all larch stands examined from the Ottawa River in the Kemptville District west to Durham and Victoria counties in the Lindsey District, In 1956, medium infestations occurred in Palmerston, Brougham, Miller, South Canonto and Lavant townships in the Tweed District, In 1957 larch stands in these areas were only lightly infested, Since colonies contained unusually small numbers of larvae it is assured that unfavourable weather, predators or other factors that decimate young larval populations contributed to the decline of infestations in these areas, Pockets of light infestation which occurred at various points in the region are shown on hp 1, SOUTHEASTERN FOREST REGION I.