• Rea, James C.
  School of Forest Resources
  
• Houseweart, Mark W.
  School of Forest Resources
  

The spruce budworm is the most important forest defoliator in Maine. Prediodic outbreaks of this insect have been recorded in tree sings since 1770 ( Webb, Blais, and Nash 1961). The most recent outbreak occurred in 1974 and in 1975 a five year study was initiated to assess the impact the spruce budworm was having on forest growth. The study is sponsored by the following cooperators: Dead River Co., Diamond Internations, Great Northern Paper Co., J.M. Huber corp., International Paper Co., Georgia Pacific, Boise Cascade, Prentiss and Carlisle, Scoot Paper Co, Seven Islands Co, St. Regis Paper co, USFS and the Maine Forest Service.

The USFS assisted in initially designing the sampling an analysis procedures based on their forest inventory programs. A total of 406 plots was originally sampled in 1975. In 1976 the supervision of the study was assume by the newly created Cooperatie Forestry Research Unit and nine new plots were added in Washington Country to monitor the spread on the  budworm in that area.