Hot, dry summer could accelerate North Shore looper moth outbreak
North shore residents and visitors should brace themselves for the early arrival of a pest that has plagued the region's forests for the last two summers.
It’s believed that Metro Vancouver’s hot dry weather is accelerating the looper moth’s life cycle.
Most loopers are currently in caterpillar stage, eating their way through forests and turning swaths of hemlock, cedar and douglas fir trees a reddish-brown colour.
“There will be some areas where it’s more severe and more noticeable,” said provincial forest entomologist Jeanne Robert, who predicts the worst-hit areas could see 30 to 60 per cent of trees fall victim to the looper infestation.
“We will see some trees probably dying from being defoliated repeatedly,” Robert said.
Local resident Ryan Younger is concerned at the amount of damage the looper larvae are causing.
“It starts in the treetops and you can see red and dead treetops, and starting to brown out all the way down,” he said.
While it’s too late for this year, Younger would like to see the province launch an aerial spray program next spring to combat future looper moth infestations.
“We just can’t sit on our hands and watch and assess or the mountains will be completely red and dead,” said Younger.
Robert says there is a safe bacterial spray that targets the moth larvae.
“When we tend to use that particular treatment, though, is at the beginning of an outbreak that our trapping results indicate will be severe and widespread,” said Robert.
Because this summer is expected to be the culmination of a three-year breeding cycle, Robert says now is not the time for such a program.
“This particular outbreak, although it’s concerning and we are definitely monitoring keeping and eye on it, is not something that merits a spray program at this stage,” Robert said.
The looper moth outbreak was most severe in early September last year, but the moths could emerge from their cocoons in August this summer.
“Soon, within a few weeks, they will take flight and turn into moths and fly away and spread their devastation farther afield and lay their eggs for the next season,” said Younger.
He’s worried if nothing is done, the looper will keep decimating the forest.
“There is already going to be a lot of tree mortality, but if we take action, we can mitigate it a lot,” Younger said. “If we do nothing, I guarantee there will be a much larger scale die-off.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.