Mountain Pine Beetle – Dendroctronus ponderosae
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Presentation by:
Spray Lake Sawmills
Woodlands
Mountain Pine Beetle - Biology
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• Small, cylindrical, dark
coloured, size of grain of
rice
• 1 year life cycle
(generally)
• Mid summer - Adult
females fly & attack new
trees by boring through
the bark into the sapwood
Mountain Pine Beetle – Biology continued
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• Females construct
vertical galleries in
the phloem
• Males join them, mate,
females deposit eggs
• Eggs hatch into larvae
& feed outward from
the vertical galleries
Mountain Pine Beetle – Biology continued
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• Over winter under
bark as larvae
• Spring – transform
into pupae
• Summer – emerge as
adults, fly and attack
new trees
Mountain Pine Beetle - Range
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• Southern Rocky
Mountains & west of
the continental divide
• Outbreak in Crowsnest
Pass area about 25
years ago
• Not generally
indigenous to Alberta
Mountain Pine Beetle – Current Situation
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• Several years of dry
summers and mild winters
• 50 years of fire
suppression
• Result = vast tracks of
optimal age & size of
lodgepole pine with a
climate favourable for
beetle expansion
Mountain Pine Beetle – The Target
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• The MPB can thrive on all
pine species
• Alberta’s forests are 42%
pine and 67% locally
• At present, primary host is
Lodgepole Pine
• It can also do well in
Whitebark Pine and Jack
Pine
• This will open the door
for expansion across
Canada’s Boreal Forest
Mountain Pine Beetle – Natural Controls
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Endemic Populations
• Woodpeckers, viruses,
climate , fire and other
natural disturbances
Epidemic Populations
• Cold winter weather
with –30 to –40 dgrees
Mountain Pine Beetle – Trees Natural Defense
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• Resin production will
“pitch” the beetle from the
tree
• Healthy young trees will
have a stronger chance of
fighting off the beetle
• Older, weakened or
stressed trees are more
vulnerable
Mountain Pine Beetle – How the Tree is Killed
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• The shear number of
beetles building galleries
will effectively girdle the
tree
• In addition, the beetle
introduces a blue stain
fungus into the tree which
blocks the transport of
water and nutrients
Mountain Pine Beetle – Tools n’ Tactics
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• Tools & tactics will vary
with landbase
designations and
organizational mandates
& objectives
• They will typically range
from single tree
treatments through to
prescribed burns and
harvesting
Mountain Pine Beetle – Mgmt Guidance Documents
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• MPB Action Plan for
Alberta
• Interpretive Bulletin for
Planning Response
Operations
• Ground Rules Addendum
• Directive for Transport &
Storage of Affected Logs
Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan for Alberta
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• Goal – mitigate effects of
MPB on social,
environmental &
economic values of our
forests
• Defines 3 mgmt strategies
– Control strategy
– Prevention Strategy
– Salvage Strategy
Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Control Strategy
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• Aerial and ground
surveys to locate
infested trees
• Response Level I –
Single Tree Treatment
• Response Level II –
Stand Level Treatment
Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Prevention (pine)
Strategy
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• Reduce spread and
outbreak potential by
reducing the area of
susceptible stands
– Model stand
susceptibility
– Reduce susceptible
stands to 25% in 20 yrs
Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Salvage Strategy
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• Kicks in where/when
the MPB infestation is
beyond control
• The focus is on
recovering dead and
dying trees before the
fibre is lost
Mountain Pine Beetle – Interpretive Bulletin
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• Outlines criteria and
protocols for planning
harvest operations in
response to the MPB
• Provides a direct,
detailed, linkage to the
Action Plan
Mountain Pine Beetle – Ground Rules Addendum
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• Contains an outline of
modified provincial
ground rules to enable
quick implementation of
MPB operations
• Provides “ground level”
operational
direction/guidance for
conducting harvest
activity
Mountain Pine Beetle – Directive for Log Management
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• This is an SRD Directive
aimed at reducing the
risk-of-spread when using
harvesting as a control
treatment
• Includes:
– Log transport
– Log storage
– Manufacturing/residue
management
Mountain Pine Beetle – Environmental Impacts
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• Domino effect impacting
a chain of resource values
– Water table
– Surface run-off / H2O
quality
– Fisheries
– Veg. composition
– Wildlife habitat values
– Wildfire susceptibility
– etc
Mountain Pine Beetle – Social / Economic Impacts
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• Cascading impacts
effecting a range of social
and economic values
– Aesthetic / recreation
values
– Range / forage values
– Access / class of roads
– Wood supply for forest
industry
– Employment
– Municipal tax base
Mountain Pine Beetle – Forest Industry Economic
Realities
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• Planning & chasing beetle
affected wood is
expensive
• Lower grades, recoveries
and product values are
expected
• Lumber markets are the
lowest in 20 years
• Operating /
Manufacturing costs have
sky rocketed
Mountain Pine Beetle – Economic Realities continued
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• There are announcements
of mill closures almost
weekly
• Off-loading the costs to
fight the MPB onto the
industry is not an option
• This is a societal issue not
just a forest industry issue
Mountain Pine Beetle – What Can You Do?
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• While the forest industry
is the provinces biggest
“tool” to help battle the
beetle everyone has a part
to play
• Patience & understanding
will be required
• Help us be effective
– Streamline admin
processes and approvals
– Public education
Mountain Pine Beetle – Local Initiatives
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• DFMP – beetle
susceptibility modeling
and harvest re-sequencing
• Stakeholder
Communication
• Prevention (pine) strategy
plans for:
– Jumping Pound
– East & West Ghost
Mountain Pine Beetle – Wake-up Statistics
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• Triple last years numbers
for beetle infested trees in
the Southern Rockies
despite SRD’s efforts with
Level I Control Strategies
• A minimum 98% winterkill is required to start
reducing the population
Mountain Pine Beetle – More Information
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• www.srd.gov.ab.ca/forests/health/
mpb.html
• www.pc.gc.ca/dpp-mpb
• www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/entomolo
gy/mpb/index_e.html
• www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_
pine_beetle/
• www.barkbeetlelinks.ca
• Call: 310-BUGS
Mountain Pine Beetle – Mgmt Documents continued
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Action Plan
Interpretive
Bulletin
Control
Strategy
Level I
Level II
Prevention
Strategy
Salvage
Strategy
Ground
Rules
Addendum
Directive
Mountain Pine Beetle – Preliminary Plan (Jumping Pound Creek)
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Mountain Pine Beetle – Visualization Modeling
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Computer visualizations of proposed cut-blocks
within Jumping Pound Creek Compartments
(FMA 0100038) as seen from locations near
Barrier Lake and the Barrier Lake information
centre.
Mountain Pine Beetle – Preliminary Plan (West Ghost)
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Mountain Pine Beetle –
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