The spruce budworm from Minnesota and Manitoba to Maine and the Maritimes: Blais and budworm paradigms revisited.
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| Title: | The spruce budworm from Minnesota and Manitoba to Maine and the Maritimes: Blais and budworm paradigms revisited. |
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| Authors: | Cooke, Barry J.1 (AUTHOR) barry.cooke@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca, Sturtevant, Brian R.2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2/26/2026, Vol. 56, p1-17. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Forest dynamics, *Forest ecology, *Forests & forestry, *Insect populations, Spruce budworm, Balsam fir |
| Abstract: | We revisit the research legacy of J.R. Blais and re-evaluate his contributions to spruce budworm—forest dynamics in light of a century of research, 1924–2025. We trace the evolution of scientific thought on outbreak ecology and reassess Blais' foundational insights using contemporary data and methods. Blais' alignment with a bottom-up, host-driven outbreak paradigm—centered on forest composition and epicentric spread—anticipated many findings now supported by modern research. Re-analysis of Blais' historical outbreak maps (1802–1940) reveals a longitudinal gradient in outbreak frequency aligned with balsam fir distribution, a pattern only visible with century-scale data. While individual outbreaks emerge fragmented and asynchronous, aggregate patterns exhibit long-term trends of increasing periodicity, intensity, and synchrony—consistent with Blais' suggestion that cycling behavior has shifted, with greater outbreak extents emerging in the 20th century. A paradigm revolution toward Royama in the 1980s discounted forest structure as a driver, shaping interpretations for decades. Yet tree-ring, defoliation, and population data today converge on four conclusions: outbreak periodicity is weak and complex; synchrony is variable; spatial patterns are non-repeating; and host forest structure strongly influences outbreak dynamics. These revelations—many crystallizing in the last decade—validate Blais' interpretation and support his argument that promoting forest diversity through silviculture remains the most effective strategy for managing budworm risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | GreenFILE |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: 8gh DbLabel: GreenFILE An: 191844207 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The spruce budworm from Minnesota and Manitoba to Maine and the Maritimes: Blais and budworm paradigms revisited. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cooke%2C+Barry+J%2E%22">Cooke, Barry J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> barry.cooke@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sturtevant%2C+Brian+R%2E%22">Sturtevant, Brian R.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Canadian+Journal+of+Forest+Research%22">Canadian Journal of Forest Research</searchLink>. 2/26/2026, Vol. 56, p1-17. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Forest+dynamics%22">Forest dynamics</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Forest+ecology%22">Forest ecology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Forests+%26+forestry%22">Forests & forestry</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Insect+populations%22">Insect populations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Spruce+budworm%22">Spruce budworm</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Balsam+fir%22">Balsam fir</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: We revisit the research legacy of J.R. Blais and re-evaluate his contributions to spruce budworm—forest dynamics in light of a century of research, 1924–2025. We trace the evolution of scientific thought on outbreak ecology and reassess Blais' foundational insights using contemporary data and methods. Blais' alignment with a bottom-up, host-driven outbreak paradigm—centered on forest composition and epicentric spread—anticipated many findings now supported by modern research. Re-analysis of Blais' historical outbreak maps (1802–1940) reveals a longitudinal gradient in outbreak frequency aligned with balsam fir distribution, a pattern only visible with century-scale data. While individual outbreaks emerge fragmented and asynchronous, aggregate patterns exhibit long-term trends of increasing periodicity, intensity, and synchrony—consistent with Blais' suggestion that cycling behavior has shifted, with greater outbreak extents emerging in the 20th century. A paradigm revolution toward Royama in the 1980s discounted forest structure as a driver, shaping interpretations for decades. Yet tree-ring, defoliation, and population data today converge on four conclusions: outbreak periodicity is weak and complex; synchrony is variable; spatial patterns are non-repeating; and host forest structure strongly influences outbreak dynamics. These revelations—many crystallizing in the last decade—validate Blais' interpretation and support his argument that promoting forest diversity through silviculture remains the most effective strategy for managing budworm risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1139/cjfr-2025-0178 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Forest dynamics Type: general – SubjectFull: Forest ecology Type: general – SubjectFull: Forests & forestry Type: general – SubjectFull: Insect populations Type: general – SubjectFull: Spruce budworm Type: general – SubjectFull: Balsam fir Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The spruce budworm from Minnesota and Manitoba to Maine and the Maritimes: Blais and budworm paradigms revisited. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cooke, Barry J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sturtevant, Brian R. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 26 M: 02 Text: 2/26/2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00455067 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 56 Titles: – TitleFull: Canadian Journal of Forest Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
