Dieback and growth loss of sugar maple associated with defoliation by the forest tent caterpillar

Abstract

Acer saccharum stands in SW Ontario experienced a Malacosoma distria infestation in the mid-1970s. The defoliation was a key factor that accounted for an upsurge in the amount of dieback damage that occurred in 1977 and 1978 in the area affected by the caterpillar. In 1977-1979 defoliated maples grew at a reduced rate that averaged 39.5% less than that for maples in stands adjacent to the infestation. Stands showed good recovery from dieback. -from Author