Mountain Pine Beetle

British Columbia is currently experiencing the largest recorded mountain pine beetle outbreak in North America. BC has 12 million hectares of lodgepole pine forest primarily in the Interior, of which approximately 7 million hectares has been affected by the beetle. Projections suggest that approximately 80 per cent of the 12 million hectares will be killed by 2014.

The outbreak continues to kill mature pine trees in the Central Interior and is well established in the Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenay regions. Infestations are now appearing in the Peace River Region.

Since 1999, several factors have come together to create the conditions for the current mountain pine beetle outbreak:

• BC has a large supply of mature and old lodgepole pine forests, which are highly susceptible to insect attacks;
• the province has been experiencing relatively warm winters in recent years, conditions under which the beetle thrives; and
• the lodgepole pine forest has extended further south into areas where severe cold is rare.

Climate is an important factor, because the pine beetle cannot survive in cold climates. A sudden cold snap (-25 degrees Celsius) in early fall or late spring, or sustained frigid winter temperatures (-40 degrees Celsius) can eliminate beetle populations over a wide area and is the most effective natural control. However, BC has not experienced such conditions in recent years, and this has made the situation worse.

Economic Impacts

In the short term, the outbreak is expected to create an increase in economic activity as dead trees are harvested before they decay and lose their commercial value. This short-term surplus of harvestable timber will be followed by a reduction in the cut as the outbreak runs its course and dead trees reach the end of their economic usefulness. The loss of future timber supply presents a challenge to the communities affected and the province as a whole. About 25 to 30 per cent of the province's timber harvesting land base is pine. In large portions of the Interior region, pine makes up over 50 per cent of the harvestable timber.

Provincial Government Response

The province is committed to action that will mitigate the impacts of this unprecedented outbreak on BC's forests, communities and the provincial economy in the short-term, and ensure sustainability of the forest resource in the long-term. This action is outlined in British Columbia's Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan 2005-2010 released earlier this year.

Consistent with the action plan, in the February 15 budget the province committed $101 million to address the mountain pine beetle outbreak. In 2004/05, $12 million was spent on reforestation initiatives in areas affected by the beetle as part of the Forests for Tomorrow program. This long-term, large-scale program will speed the recovery of forest from natural disasters. Over the next three years, the province will spend $89 million on various initiatives including:

• Economic diversification – the short term accelerated salvage of beetle killed pine provides an opportunity for communities and industries in the affected areas to benefit from diversification into other types of forest products manufacturing. Funding will be provided to take advantage of this opportunity through the development of forest roads to access damaged stands and to handle the increased flow of wood to mills and communities. Funding is also provided to establish a forest fertilization program to accelerate the growth rate of surviving stands towards replacing some of the wood supply lost to the beetle.
• Incremental manufacturing – this refers to tendering forest licences to utilize beetle infested wood in non-lumber products such as oriented strand board (OSB), pellets, bio fuels, power generation, fibre panels etc. So far, a number of licences are being considered for OSB mills and industrial pellets manufacturing plants.
• Reforestation – activities under the Forests for Tomorrow program are being implemented to reforest destroyed areas as quickly and efficiently as is economically viable.

The province will also provide an additional $50 million in funding for the Northern Development Initiative in 2005/06, $30 million of which will be dedicated to help communities respond to the mountain pine beetle infestation.

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, in March 2005, BC and Alberta agreed to work together and share costs in managing mountain pine beetle populations in BC's Peace Forest District to minimize the potential for beetle infestations moving eastward into forested areas of Alberta. The provinces signed a 5-year renewable Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to share a one-year cost of $1.65 million for beetle control and mitigation, with BC contributing approximately $900,000. BC will invest its share this winter in fall-and-burn management strategies and ongoing monitoring of attacked trees in the southern half of the Peace Forest District.

In addition to the province's funding plan, BC received a commitment of $100 million from the federal government in March 2005 to help meet costs to combat the pine beetle spread and mitigate damage. Over the next three years the province plans to spend funds on community diversification and stability, spread control, fuel management, inventory planning and data collection, and research for new wood products. The province continues to work with First Nations, local communities and advisory boards to shape priorities and delivery. The province is also pursuing additional federal funding for these forestry initiatives in recognition of the impact of the mountain pine beetle on BC and the potential impact on the rest of Canada.

Mitigating the impacts of this unprecedented bark beetle outbreak will require a coordinated effort by governments and the forest industry in cooperation with communities, First Nations and others. Further information is provided on the government website at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle.