Category Archives: Pest Management

A confidential report was leaked this week indicating the British Columbia government is expecting north-central B.C. to lose 32% – 67% of its timber supply due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic without a mitigation plan.

What are British Columbia’s mitigation options?

• Forest Management – intensive silviculture and stand fertilization
• Harvesting – in areas currently considered uneconomical – due to tree size, volume, or species composition
• Harvesting – in areas managed for non-timber values such as biodiversity, wildlife habitat and scenic areas

Currently, in timber supply areas of Lakes, Prince George, Quesnel, and Williams Lake, there is estimated to be sufficient timber, harvested at pre-beetle levels, until 2020. However, most of that timber is pine that has already been dead for 5-10 years. It is not currently economical to harvest dead pine with a long haul distance from a mill. With the haul distance factored in, there is an estimate of 1.5 years of economically feasible harvest supply in Quesnel, ranger to about 5 years in the Prince George timber supply area.

Whatever mitigation options are used by the provincial government, they indicate in their report that they wish to make their decisions before December 31, 2012 to avoid conflict with the May 2013 election.

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To reduce the risk of Dutch elm disease (DED), pruning of elm trees is prohibited throughout Saskatchewan each year from April 1 until August 31.

Fresh cuts from pruning can attract the beetles that spread the disease, increasing the chance of an infection. The annual pruning ban is in effect during the time of year when elm bark beetles are most active.

Pruning is an important part of regular elm tree care and is encouraged, before and after the annual ban period. Proper pruning helps keep trees healthy and better able to resist disease. The removal of dead and dying elm wood through pruning also helps to reduce beetle breeding habitat and control the beetle population. Timely and proper disposal of the pruned wood is also essential to keep DED from spreading. Throughout the year, including the ban period, prompt removal of infected elms is critical to effective disease management.

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Scientists from the Canadian Forest Service are planning an aerial spray program outside Halifax to hopefully slow the spread of the brown spruce longhorn beetle.

The spray is a synthetic chemical pheromone that was developed by the Canadian Forest Service and is designed to disrupt the beetle’s mating habits.

Although the brown spruce longhorn beetle does not pose a risk to human health, it is a highly destructive beetle. Since its discovery in 1999 in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, it has killed thousands of spruce trees in Nova Scotia, and poses an economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America.

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Jim Snetsinger, British Columbia’s Chief Forester, told a convention of the Western Silviculture Contractors’ Association this week that the historic mountain pine beetle infestation in interior B.C. wasn’t as destructive as first feared.

“In 2006, we were projecting a mountain pine beetle kill of 80 per cent of pine by 2013,” Jim Snetsinger said. “Our 2011 models . . . now tell us mountain pine beetle will kill about 61 per cent of susceptible pine by 2021.”

Unfortunately the news isn’t all good. Snetsinger said the mountain pine beetle continues to kill large numbers of lodgepole pine. More than half of merchantable pine in the Interior has been lost to date, even though the mortality peaked in 2004-05.

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The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment has extended a contract for mountain pine beetle surveys due to a higher than expected number of infested trees found in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

Great Western Forestry Ltd. is contracted to survey for mountain pine beetle in the boreal forest in northwestern Saskatchewan and in Cypress Hills. The surveys in the northwest took place September 19, with no mountain pine beetles detected. However, the known infestation in the Cypress Hills affected more trees than expected. The contract extension will allow completion of work to verify all infested trees and to mark them for removal.

“Insect and disease surveys provide critical information to plan an effective and timely response, in co-operation with other jurisdictions,” Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said. “In the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, a unique landscape we share with Alberta, the extended contract will ensure that all needed work can be completed.”

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The city of London, Ontario has started cutting down nearly 10,000 ash trees from public property because of the emerald ash borer.

In the Jalna Boulevard neighbourhood of London, where crews are working this week, they have found that just about every ash tree has already been infected by the insect.

The trees aren’t being cut to stop the spread, because that has been proven to not be effective. Instead, the trees are being culled because it is a matter of time before the emerald ash borer kills the tree. Each tree that is cut will be replaced with two others of a different species. The estimated $14 million program to replace the trees has yet to be given the green light from the city’s budget.

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Saskatchewan will be contributing $150,000 to the fight against mountain pine beetle in Alberta.

The funding will be provided as part of a multi-year agreement with the Government of Alberta that will allow the two provinces to more effectively co-operate in mountain pine beetle management. The program aims to control the outbreak in Alberta to prevent or significantly slow the eastern spread into Saskatchewan’s northern forest.

“Saskatchewan and Alberta have worked together and shared insect and disease information for many years,” Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said. “This agreement builds on that history of collaboration and establishes a framework for further partnerships with other jurisdictions to address an issue of national importance.”

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Aerial surveys show Alberta is making progress in its fight against mountain pine beetle infestations in some parts of the province.

This year’s aerial surveys show about 50% fewer red beetle-killed pine trees where control programs are in effect, primarily in west-central Alberta and east to Slave Lake. However, the number of newly attacked trees has increased in the Grande Prairie and Peace River areas, despite the aerial surveys showing no large in-flight of beetles from eastern British Columbia.

“This year’s surveys show some positive results where the province’s mountain pine beetle control strategy has been most aggressive,” said Sustainable Resource Development Minister Frank Oberle. “However, Alberta will continue its fight against the threat of pine beetles.”

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An emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has been found in a trap just 6km south of Bruce County in southern Ontario.

Until a beetle is officially found in the twin counties of Grey and Bruce, the counties will consider themselves “unaffected” – for now. Although Doug Kraemer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency‘s Walkerton office does say that realistically, the highly-destructive emerald ash borer could already be in the area.

“It can take three to five years from the initial infestation until we see any signs,” Kraemer said.

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Andrew Fedora, executive director of the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners, who also is on the steering committee of the National Task-force set up for the pest, is expressing his concern about the recent discovery of Brown Spruce Longhorn beetle in New Brunswick.

“If the maritime region isn’t perceived to be doing all it can do to prevent the spread of that bug, then that could severely restrict trade relations with the U.S.,” he said. “It doesn’t have a passport, and with that, there’s a threat of tighter regulations.”

The brown spruce longhorn beetle is very invasive, more invasive than it is destructive. After a beetle is found in a new area, a one kilometre wide quarantine zone is place, restricting the movement of all spruce roundwood, bark, and chips.

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