• Welty, Celeste
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

Seedling mortality caused by debarking weevils has become increasingly apparent in North America due to the use of forest regeneration methods that can create conditions favorable for weevil outbreaks. Regenerating even-aged conifer stands by clearcutting creates areas of concentrated slash and stumps, which debarking weevils use as food and breeding material. Intensive management practices on clearcut areas include establishing plantations soon after harvest in order to minimize rotation time and to give seedlings an advantage over competing vegetation. Seedlings present in the vicinity of fresh slash and stumps provide another food source for weevils that are attracted to the area by the odor of freshly-exposed resin.