In North Minnesota, wildfires are ravaging thousands of acres of woodland, causing damage to structures and requiring people to leave their homes.
Spruce budworms, a well-known mosquito that has terrorized Minnesota trees for at least 50 years, have killed trees and made them more vulnerable to fire. This is what the yet-to-be-contained Camp House fireplace, Jenkins Creek fire, and Munger Shaw flames have credited with their ongoing death.
The flames ‘ “other caretaker” Humans.
According to Mike Reinikainen, a specialist with the country’s Department of Natural Resources ‘ forest section,” Pine budworm’s biggest influence, in my opinion, is that it can help sustain thick stands of pine fir on the landscape that are fire prone.”
In 2021, the outbreaks worsened the Greenwood fire near Isabella, Minnesota, where a large portion of the area was located.
A bush beetle that feeds on trees leaves until they are able to turn into moths is the pine budworm. Before dying within a year, those larvae lay around 10 chicken people that may hold more than one budworm. The worms frequently drop pine pine seedlings that aid in forest regeneration are a important food supply for predators like the Cape May bird and crimson finch.
Pruce budworm larvae you repotting mature trees like pine fir and spruce until they are killed after hatching.
According to the DNR’s 2024 Forest Health Annual Report, humans ‘ efforts to control fires may have also contributed to the budworms ‘ growth. Fir and pine forests can age more and become denser as a result of starting natural fires, which means more foods for budworms.
According to Sarah Waddle, an trainer for the University of Minnesota Extension plan,” when there’s a forest fire that’s starting on the ground, say on the lawn, the fire may move up to the ceiling of the woods by climbing a pine pine, kind of like it’s climbing up a ladder.” Additionally, there is much more balsam fir in the woods than there would have been prior to this region’s settlement.
Fires are now occurring on larger scales than they could have been if they had been set to occur more naturally.
Spruce budworm populations in the state change every 25 to 40 years, but outbreaks can last for up to ten years.
Since 1954, budworm activity has been tracked annually in Minnesota by observers, but Waddle claimed the bugs have been a part of Minnesota for “many hundreds, thousands of years.”
According to information from the DNR, the current outbreak started in 2020.
In Lake, Cook, and St. Louis counties, outbreaks of Spruce budworms have been reported. More than 700, 000 acres of forest were infected by the insects last year, making it the largest impact since 1961.
These counties have seen over 90 % of spruce budworm damage over the past 24 years, Reinikainen continued.
Waddle advised people to cut down infected trees. Doing so encourages the wood to decompose, making it a better place for animals to shelter.
To expand the variety of plants they can grow, plant trees besides the balsam fir. Contact your neighborhood soil and water conservation district or DNR stewardship forester for professional assistance.
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The Minnesota Star Tribune, 2025.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
