Impact of the white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck) on Norway spruce plantations (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) Part 1: Productivity and lumber quality

Abstract

A study to assess the effects that major deformations in merchantable stems of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), caused by the white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi [Peck]), have on lumber productivity and quality was performed on logs obtained from a second commercial thinning operation in three weevil-affected plantations. Deformed stems were found to be 6.3% shorter than non-deformed stems and their lumber characteristics, i.e., merchantable volume, number of board feet and lumber monetary value, were 14.7%, 20.6% and 23.7% lower, respectively. However, when the respective proportions of deformed and non-deformed stems were analyzed for a given plantation over the time horizon of a complete rotation, these shortfalls almost disappeared, with a loss of less than 3% being noted for total merchantable volume. The presence/absence of major deformations had no effect on visual grading of the lumber, which takes defects such as wane, knots and compression wood into account. For two of the three sites studied, almost 75% of the lumber was graded as Select Structural, No. 1 or No. 2. The plantation site and its characteristics (spacing and level of thinning) were found to have a more significant effect than deformations on productivity, lumber quality and monetary value. Furthermore, using the same methodology, one of the Norway spruce sites was compared with a white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss) plantation containing trees of similar quality and height, but with no weevil problems. The Norway spruce stems, including those with deformations, were found to yield higher merchantable and usable log volumes, a larger number of board feet and a higher monetary value than white spruce. On average, for the diameter at breast height values tested -14 to 23 cm -the monetary value of the lumber was 26% higher for Norway spruce. These findings are largely attributable to the less pronounced taper of Norway spruce. In conclusion, in spite of weevil attacks and their negative impact, Norway spruce trees growing on sites of moderate to very good quality maintain lumber potential, in terms of both quantity and quality, for second thinning logs. The negative impact should gradually decrease at the time of next thinnings and final harvest. ] Karst.) sur la productivité et la qualité des sciages a été évalué à partir de billes récoltées lors de secondes éclaircies commerciales dans trois plantations affectées par l'insecte. Comparativement aux tiges non déformées, les résultats ont démontré que les tiges déformées étaient moins hautes de 6,3 % et avaient un volume marchand, un nombre de pmp et une valeur monétaire des sciages inférieurs de 14,7, 20,6 et de 23,7 %, respectivement. Toutefois, ces pertes deviennent presque négligeables et inférieures à 3 % au niveau de la production en volume marchand total de la plantation puisque les tiges déformées représentent une partie seulement de l'ensemble des tiges présentes ainsi qu'une faible proportion du volume total récolté sur un horizon correspondant à une rotation comp...

Modeling the timber supply impact of introducing weevil-resistant spruce in British Columbia with cellular automata

“…They conclude that while some internal defects are likely to remain, it is possible to produce high quality clear wood in areas with high weevil infestation risks. Daoust and Mottet (2006) report similar findings for weevil infestations in Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) plantations in Quebec, where defect-free lumber could be produced despite high rates of weevil infestation.…”

Multi‐trait genomic selection for weevil resistance, growth, and wood quality in Norway spruce

“…Besides its principal host eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus L.), the weevil attacks different native spruces across the North American continent. In Norway spruce, moderate weevil damage leads to significant monetary loss due to stem defects and the resulting losses in lumber volume and quality (Daoust & Mottet, ).…”

“…Although Norway spruce did not coevolve with the white pine weevil in its native European range, moderate‐to‐high genetic variation and heritability for resistance were reported for this species (Holst, ; Mottet, DeBlois, & Perron, ). Current Canadian Norway spruce breeding programs are largely based on resistant selections made by the Canadian Forest Service in the past (Daoust & Mottet, ). However, selections were made following conventional phenotypic evaluations of mature trees and pedigree‐based approaches, thus requiring many years of testing in genetic experiments.…”

A catalog of annotated high-confidence SNPs from exome capture and sequencing reveals highly polymorphic genes in Norway spruce (Picea abies)

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