Forest Service Launches Spruce Budworm Response Project & Prepares For Busy Summer Season

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up to launch a spruce budworm response project in Cook County this summer as the prevalence of the spruce budworm expands across northeastern Minnesota.

As a preventative mitigation effort, this summer, the Forest Service intends to implement a Blue Cascade Spruce Budworm Response and Restoration Project stretching from the Caribou Trail to County Road 14, east of Grand Marais. The entire project will encompass over 2000 acres and focus on vegetation management, reducing hazardous fuels, and minimizing the density of spruce plantations to allow for more ecologically appropriate mixed-forest types.

In this week's episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak about the spruce budworm project. Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak also provides outdoor reminders as the busy summer season nears in the BWCA and Superior National Forest. 

What is WTIP Outdoor News Podcast?

WTIP is the community radio station serving Minnesota's North Shore. We share a variety of outdoor news content from the region, including Lake Superior, Isle Royale and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From fishing and hunting to environmental issues, this locally-produced podcast covers important outdoor news relevant to our broad community of listeners.