Eastern spruce budworm outbreaks occur every 30 to 60 years. During the last outbreak from 1970 until 1985, the insect killed 20–25 million cords of spruce-fir wood, or 21 percent of all fir trees in Maine. Already severely damaging trees in southern Quebec, the insect is on track to begin defoliating trees in Maine over the next several years. In advance of the outbreak, the University of Maine partnered with the Maine Forest Service and Maine Forest Products Council to form a Maine Spruce Budworm Task Force to keep forest landowners and government officials informed.
