| FORESTRY
Deep freeze in BC may not wipe out pine beetle but may do the trick in Alberta Chief forester says its time to look at privatizing BC’s forests Deep freeze in BC may not wipe out pine beetle but may do the trick in Alberta Those hungry mountain pine beetles that have chewed through more than 10 million hectares of B.C. forests are snuggled down for the winter and probably won't be killed by a cold snap that’s gripping the province. University of B.C. mountain pine beetle specialist Dr. John McLean says the beetles are at the height of their hibernation protection and sustained temperatures below -40 degrees would be required to cause a significant kill. But he’s more hopeful that temperatures verging on -40 in the Grande Prairie region of Alberta over the next few days will help slow the beetle’s movement into that province. Pine beetles were first spotted in Alberta forests in 2006 and McLean says the extent of their progress last year is still being assessed. As for wiping out the pest in B.C., McLean says extreme cold just as the bug is emerging from hibernation in March would cause it significant harm. He says this is the first truly frigid weather to push into B.C. in several winters and only time will tell if it is enough to help kill the voracious beetle. Plague of beetles continue the march westward. Meanwhile, the Terrace Pine Beetle Task Force is working to stop the westward spread of the pest but warns it could still reac Prince Rupert. Task force leader Roger Harris agencies are working to identify pine trees on lands within the city and regional district lands around Terrace that may be infested. The beetle began making its appearance last summer. Pine makes up only five per cent of the Terrace-area timber stands and will not have a large impact on the commercial industry. But Harris said the presence of pine trees in public parks and recreation areas is going to make the pest highly visible in areas popular with tourists. “There are trees infested and next year we will start to see a lot more red trees, especially in some of the parks and campground areas,” he said. Within five years, the bug will cause those trees to turn grey and die, making a mess of public spaces. And just like Terrace, Prince Rupert's pine in urban areas are in and around its parks. The Kitsumkalum and Kitselas First Nations on the task force have received funding for forestry workers to start identifying trees and the task force is seeking further funding. Once they’ve quantified the problem, Harris said the task force will put together a plan of action for both public and private lands. Chief forester says its time to look at privatizing BC’s forests B.C.’s chief forester says it might be time to examine privatizing the province’s forests as a way to help revitalize the forest sector. Jim Snetsinger stressed that he wasn’t advocating the idea, just trying to think outside the box as he’d been asked to do during his presentation at a natural resource forum January 17th. Snetsinger noted a newspaper column that suggested the idea could help the industry. He noted it was a “revolutionary” idea and could be worth thinking about. He noted that in Finland, a world-class forest sector is supported by timberlands held by small, private owners. In New Zealand and Australia, private plantations are used to fuel their forest sectors, he said. Snetsinger said this wasn’t a decision he could make as chief forester, but instead it would be one made by elected officials. “If and when it’s time to start asking questions associated with tenure, I’m hopeful we are prepared to ask ourselves questions like what kind of system would promote sustained investment in our forest industry and what kind of system would allow for optimized management of all resource values?” Snetsinger told the 200 community, First Nations and business leaders at the forum. |
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