WORST -- Insect Epidemic in British Columbia's History
N 54° 40.054 W 126° 59.758
9U E 629244 N 6059643
Although tapering off, the mountain pine beetle infestation of the lodgepole pine forests of British Columbia, was and continues to be the worst insect epidemic in British Columbia's history.
Waymark Code: WMHRB6
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/08/2013
Views: 3
A sign proclaiming this superlative is located at a rest area along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway near Telkwa, British Columbia. Beyond the sign, you can see the recovery of a pine beetle infested forest.
The following information about this worst insect epidemic in British Columbia's history is from the British Columbia Government website:
"The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations estimates that the mountain pine beetle has now killed a cumulative total of 710 million cubic metres of timber since the current infestation began. The cumulative area of B.C. affected to some degree (red-attack and grey-attack) is estimated at 18.1 million hectares. Newly attacked lodgepole pine trees turn red about one year after infestation. Trees can stay in the red-attack stage for two to four years before turning grey as they lose their needles. On a provincial level, the infestation peaked in terms of volume killed annually in 2005 and has slowed considerably since then. In terms of area, 4.6 million hectares of red-attack were surveyed in 2011. This is compared to 7.8 million hectares and 6.3 million hectares in the two preceding years. The amount of habitat available to the beetle has begun to diminish as the beetle has already attacked most of the mature lodgepole pine in the Central Plateau region. The rate of spread in other areas of the Interior has been somewhat slowed by more diverse terrain and forests with a greater diversity of timber species."