I recently moved from Quesnel where the mountain pine beetle has made a tremendous impact on the forest.
In the beginning it was cut and burn, but this method did not save the trees in BC. IMO, the only effective way for man to eradicate the little blighters is areial spraying with insecticide when the bugs are in the air. The only other effective controller would be Mother Nature and the big deep freeze.
GoldFever mentioned a conspiracy started by the forest companies. I agree in principle with this theory, but I think it was the competition in the US that introduced an improved strain of bug.
The best place to start them off is a provincial park, because in BC, the ministry for parks would not allow any action to be taken within park boundaries. Their premise is 'let nature run it's course'. Tweedsmuir Park seemed to be the flashpoint for the MPB epidemic.
A little history here. In the late '70s, KOMO in Seattle did a documentary on the how the forest industry occuring on the Fraser Plateau of central BC was affecting the forest industry in Washington, Oregon and to some degree in California. The lumber barons in those states were of the opinion that the forest industry stemming from the Fraser Plateau was cause of the demise of their forest industry and they were looking for some accountability. Nobody of significance in BC was paying attention.
The economic impact is yet to come. It's kind of funny, not many people recognize that this is going to alter their lives in the most dramatic way. Too many rose coloured glasses in BC. The BC government will rely on oil and natgas to keep BC afloat, Alberta oil and gas that is. Expect to see a mass exodus of BC residents to Alberta in the near future.
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