• McLintock, T.F.
  Northeastern Forest Experiment Station
  
• Westveld, M.
  Northeastern Forest Experiment Station
  

Information thus far indicates that forest management offers the most lasting and practical means of controlling spruce budworm outbreaks. An important phase of this control program of more immediate value involves the removal of large, overmature balsam fir which provide highly favorable conditions for rapid buildup of budworm populations. On many woods operations throughout the northeast, such over-mature fir are frequently left uncut because they are deemed unmerchantable. To a large extent this practice has been established by the cutters themselves who claim that long experience combined with shrewd instinct enable them to distinguish unmerchantable trees. Through long usage this practice has become an established policy and it is now extremely difficult to get cutters to fell trees which they believe are unmerchantable. This is an unfortunate situation since there is good reason to believe that the cutters' judgement is far from infallible and that a good deal of sound wood is left standing. Because of the high budworm hazard such trees represent, they should be cut where feasible irrespective of the amount of merchantable wood they contain. Prompt and extensive application of such a program should substantially reduce effective budworm breeding conditions and hence, ultimately reduce the intensity of infestation.