Budworm City is located in south-eastern Restigouche County approximately 50 km south of Campbellton. It was established as a base to treat 182,000 acres of forest in northern New Brunswick planned for 1952.
In 1952, Frank Baumann of LOOK Magazine spent time in Budworm City and surrounding area photographing all aspects of the spray program for an article called Battling the Budworm. The image collection is archived at the Library of Congress, but FPL was supplied with a set of contact prints.
A CBC TV broadcast from July 1957 (CBC Digital Archives) contains some views of Budworm City and outlines the spraying project.
Budworm City airstrip still exists as a remote site; its aerodrome id is A249, although the VFR navigation chart (NavCanada 2006) shows it as abandoned. Today, Budworm City is used as a staging area for herbiciding Crown plantations and by hunters who establish a yearly campsite. The southern runway is open and grassed, but the northern runway is grown over.
Constructed
1951
On November 24, the construction of a 760-metre airstrip was commenced at Budworm City by New Brunswick International Paper. The work was done by Ashley A. Colter’s Diamond Construction Company. Camps were built to house 200 people.
Grading the runway at Budworm City, NB, 1951.
Construction of Budworm City, 1951 – the runways in winter.
Location of Budworm City airstrip from the 1952 budworm spray project map. (Source: L.S. Webb, 1952)
Active in the aerial spray program
1952-1958 – used as an airstrip for Stearmans conducting spraying operations for the Spruce Budworm Spray Project.
1990 – A small spray aircraft program was conducted from June 5 to 26 from 4 airstrips, including Budworm City.
Budworm City, 1952. (Frank Baumann, LOOK Magazine)
Aircraft parking area, Budworm City, 1952. (Frank Baumann, LOOK Magazine)
Budworm City camp, 21 May 1952. (L.E. Williams)
The “street” sign at the Budworm City camp, 1952. (D.C. Anderson)
Aircraft parking and DDT storage areas, Budworm City, NB, 1952. (D.C. Anderson)
The southern runway is still free of obstructions (24 August, 2009). (C. Adam)
The northern runway, as indicated by the gravel track, has been abandoned, and is now overgrown with aspen and other vegetation (24 August, 2009). (C. Adam)
 Looking back along the northern runway. |
 Traces of pavement are still present along the track (24 August, 2009). (C. Adam) |
References
Baumann, Frank. Battling the Budworm. LOOK Magazine, v. 16, no. 17 (Aug. 12, 1952), p. 52-55.
NavCanada. 2006. Moncton VFR Navigation Chart, February 2006.
Webb, L.S. 1952. Report on Survey of Spruce Budworm Infestation and Damage on New Brunswick and Quebec Limits of New Brunswick International Paper Company. Canadian International Paper Company, Forest Engineering Department, Eastern Division, Nov. 3, 1952. [FPL archives]
