Increasing spruce budworm defoliation increases catchment discharge in conifer forests

Forest insect outbreaks cause significant reductions in the forest canopy through defoliation and tree mortality that modify the storage and flow of water, potentially altering catchment runoff and stream discharge patterns. Despite a growing understanding of the impacts of insect outbreaks on the h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2024-02, Vol.912, p.168561-168561, Article 168561
Main Authors: Sidhu, H.K., Kidd, K.A., Emilson, E.J.S., Stastny, M., Venier, L., Kielstra, B.W., McCarter, C.P.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (BtK)
Boreal mixed forest
Catchment hydrology
Defoliation
Forests
Insect
Moths
Picea
Spruce budworm
Tracheophyta
Water
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Summary:Forest insect outbreaks cause significant reductions in the forest canopy through defoliation and tree mortality that modify the storage and flow of water, potentially altering catchment runoff and stream discharge patterns. Despite a growing understanding of the impacts of insect outbreaks on the hydrology of broadleaf forests, little is known about these impacts to catchment hydrology in northern conifer-dominated forests. We measured the effects of cumulative defoliation by spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) on stream discharge and runoff in 12 experimental catchments (6.33–9.85 km2) across the central Gaspé Peninsula in eastern Québec, Canada over a three-year period (2019–2021). Six catchments were aerially treated with BtK (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) insecticide to suppress the outbreak and six catchments were left untreated, leading to a defoliation gradient across the study sites. Stage-discharge relationships were established between June and October from 2019 to 2021. Stream volumetric discharge (r = 0.71, p 
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168561