Description:
Douglas-fir tussock moth populations are monitored annually in
northern Idaho and western Montana to insure early detection of changes from endemic to outbreak population levels.
Adult moth trapping in 1982 was intensified and expanded into additional
areas from 1981 because of concern that with each passing year the
probability of a tussock moth outbreak is more imminent. Annual increases
in trap catches from 1980 through 1982 and reports during the
summer of 1982 of defoliated yard and farmstead trees at various locations
strongly suggest that populations are building.
This report summarizes results of the 1982 adult population monitoring.