Forest Entomology

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Climate change in recent decades has led to shifts in the ranges of many species. Species range expansions are a short-run effect of climate change that could have large impacts on the dynamics of newly colonized ecosystems. In North America, one species expansion of great concern is that of the mountain pine beetle. The mountain pine beetle is the most destructive insect pest in Canadian pine forests and now there is great concern about its eastward spread to the jack pine boreal forest. My program focuses on native insects and diseases of jack pine forest and explores their potential roles in altering tree susceptibility to the mountain pine beetle. I will evaluate the extent to which interactions of these organisms with mountain pine beetle can influence the outcome of mountain pine beetle-jack pine interactions in jack pine forest. I will generate predictions of the invasion success of the mountain pine beetle, and develop pre-emptive management strategies to mitigate probable impacts of mountain pine beetle on jack pine.