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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.