Here in Northern Ontario, most landowners take pride in their property and the forest that surrounds it. But when the spruce budworm moves through an area, it doesn’t quietly disappear and leave everything the way it was — it doesn’t leave without consequences — it leaves the cleanup. What we’re seeing across our district right now isn’t untouched wilderness. It’s large sections of dead, brittle spruce standing like matchsticks. From a distance, the trees still look upright and healthy enough, but up close, they’re one wind-storm away from coming down. Ignoring the problem doesn’t protect the land or the people living on it — it simply delays the risk until it becomes harder and more expensive to deal with.
The spruce budworm is part of a natural cycle that returns roughly every few decades. According to Natural Resources Canada, infestations can last several years and cause widespread mortality in spruce and fir forests. Smith Lab+3Forest Health Canada+3Ontario+3 Once the wave passes, the real issues begin. Dead and dying trees lose all structural strength, the wood becomes extremely brittle, and what looks like a standing tree is often nothing more than a hollow shell waiting for the right moment to fail. This year, while clearing a new property, I placed a budworm-killed spruce into a pile. The weight of the root was still heavier than the trunk. The tree snapped like chalk and came down so fast it toppled into the excavator cab, smashing a window. There was no wind, no dramatic cracking sound, and no warning — just brittleness doing the work. And that was with heavy equipment and full visibility. Now imagine that happening beside a driveway, near a cabin, or while someone is cutting by hand.
If you own acreage, this is not the time to wait and hope for the best. Once the trees are dead, they don’t recover — they only get weaker. Strategic thinning and cleanup can remove dangerous trees before they fall, reduce liability around homes and buildings, and improve forest health by giving the remaining live trees the space they need to survive future storms. Dead spruce often fall in chains, with one tree taking the next one down with it, which can create large-scale blowdowns in a single storm. Taking action now helps prevent that, and it reduces the dense fuel load that allows fire to spread rapidly across a property.
Most people don’t immediately connect budworm-killed trees with wildfire risk, but dead spruce doesn’t just fall — it burns, and it burns fast. Research has shown that forests damaged by budworm have higher fire potential in the years following tree mortality. MDPI+1 Once the needles drop and the wood dries, the trees become bone-dry fuel. They also act as ladder material, which allows fire to climb from the ground into the canopy, turning what could have been a manageable surface fire into a fast-moving one. All it takes is a lightning strike, a spark from equipment, or an ember carried by wind. When the fuel is already in place, fire doesn’t hesitate.
For large properties, one of the most effective ways to reduce that risk is by establishing fire breaks. A fire break is simply a deliberate gap in vegetation — a cleared strip, widened driveway, pasture, or open space around buildings — designed to slow or stop the spread of fire. The concept is straightforward: fire can’t burn what isn’t there. Fire breaks aren’t about removing the forest; they’re about protecting what you have. And I understand the reality better than anyone — we live in a densely forested area, and trying to clean every acre of it is virtually impossible and completely unaffordable. No one is suggesting you clear your entire property or strip it bare. The goal is to focus on the areas that matter most: the spaces closest to your home, driveway, outbuildings, storage areas, and anywhere people spend time. Cleaning up the highest-risk zones first makes a massive difference, and for most landowners, that’s not just manageable — it’s realistic.
If you own land right now, the first step is to walk your property and look at it with fresh eyes. A standing dead tree is not a safe tree, and many will fail at the root long before the trunk shows visible decay. Thinning and cleanup should be planned with the goal of reducing fuel, improving spacing, and protecting the usable areas of the property. Budworm cleanup is not the kind of work that should be tackled with a chainsaw on a weekend. The wood is unpredictable, and the risks increase the longer the trees are left standing.
The budworm moved on — but the risks didn’t. Doing nothing won’t make the problem go away. It only delays it until it becomes more dangerous and more costly. Taking action now protects your land, your safety, your investment, and the forest that’s still alive. If you’re unsure where to start, we’re happy to walk the property with you — whether you’re ready to clear next week or next year.
Every dream build starts with a clean slate.
We help uncover it — one tree at a time.
