The goal of early intervention strategies (EIS) in forest management is to prevent defoliation-related loss of forest resources. It is likely that the severe defoliation and resulting tree mortality that would occur if SBW were left unchecked would lead to a loss of critical wildlife habitat, and produce cascading impacts on ecosystem services and indicators that would affect both aquatic and terrestrial habitats and far exceed the perceived impacts of insecticide use.

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This collaborative project between CFS, universities, and industry partners will provide empirical evidence of the environmental benefits of protecting critical forest watershed habitats and ecosystem services that support communities of birds and fish. 

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Our focus in this project is on the characterization of stream food web structure and community composition of invertebrate and fish communities in SBW-affected vs. EIS-protected watersheds.

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