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Mountain Pine Beetle – Dendroctronus ponderosae

This presentation by Spray Lake Sawmills provides information on the biology, range, and current situation of the Mountain Pine Beetle. It also discusses natural controls, tree defense mechanisms, and management strategies to mitigate the effects of this destructive pest.

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Mountain Pine Beetle – Dendroctronus ponderosae

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  1. Mountain Pine Beetle – Dendroctronus ponderosae • Presentation by: • Spray Lake Sawmills • Woodlands

  2. Mountain Pine Beetle - Biology • 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

  3. Mountain Pine Beetle – Biology continued • Females construct vertical galleries in the phloem • Males join them, mate, females deposit eggs • Eggs hatch into larvae & feed outward from the vertical galleries

  4. Mountain Pine Beetle – Biology continued • Over winter under bark as larvae • Spring – transform into pupae • Summer – emerge as adults, fly and attack new trees

  5. Mountain Pine Beetle - Range • Southern Rocky Mountains & west of the continental divide • Outbreak in Crowsnest Pass area about 25 years ago • Not generally indigenous to Alberta

  6. Mountain Pine Beetle – Current Situation • 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

  7. Mountain Pine Beetle – The Target • 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

  8. Mountain Pine Beetle – Natural Controls • Endemic Populations • Woodpeckers, viruses, climate , fire and other natural disturbances • Epidemic Populations • Cold winter weather with –30 to –40 dgrees

  9. Mountain Pine Beetle – Trees Natural Defense • 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

  10. Mountain Pine Beetle – How the Tree is Killed • 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

  11. Mountain Pine Beetle – Tools n’ Tactics • 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

  12. Mountain Pine Beetle – Mgmt Guidance Documents • MPB Action Plan for Alberta • Interpretive Bulletin for Planning Response Operations • Ground Rules Addendum • Directive for Transport & Storage of Affected Logs

  13. Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan for Alberta • Goal – mitigate effects of MPB on social, environmental & economic values of our forests • Defines 3 mgmt strategies • Control strategy • Prevention Strategy • Salvage Strategy

  14. Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Control Strategy • Aerial and ground surveys to locate infested trees • Response Level I – Single Tree Treatment • Response Level II – Stand Level Treatment

  15. Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Prevention (pine) Strategy • Reduce spread and outbreak potential by reducing the area of susceptible stands • Model stand susceptibility • Reduce susceptible stands to 25% in 20 yrs

  16. Mountain Pine Beetle – Action Plan Salvage Strategy • Kicks in where/when the MPB infestation is beyond control • The focus is on recovering dead and dying trees before the fibre is lost

  17. Mountain Pine Beetle – Interpretive Bulletin • Outlines criteria and protocols for planning harvest operations in response to the MPB • Provides a direct, detailed, linkage to the Action Plan

  18. Mountain Pine Beetle – Ground Rules Addendum • 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

  19. Mountain Pine Beetle – Directive for Log Management • 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

  20. Mountain Pine Beetle – Environmental Impacts • Domino effect impacting a chain of resource values • Water table • Surface run-off / H2O quality • Fisheries • Veg. composition • Wildlife habitat values • Wildfire susceptibility • etc

  21. Mountain Pine Beetle – Social / Economic Impacts • 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

  22. Mountain Pine Beetle – Forest Industry Economic Realities • 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

  23. Mountain Pine Beetle – Economic Realities continued • 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

  24. Mountain Pine Beetle – What Can You Do? • 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

  25. Mountain Pine Beetle – Local Initiatives • DFMP – beetle susceptibility modeling and harvest re-sequencing • Stakeholder Communication • Prevention (pine) strategy plans for: • Jumping Pound • East & West Ghost

  26. Mountain Pine Beetle – Wake-up Statistics • Triple last years numbers for beetle infested trees in the Southern Rockies despite SRD’s efforts with Level I Control Strategies • A minimum 98% winter-kill is required to start reducing the population

  27. Mountain Pine Beetle – More Information • www.srd.gov.ab.ca/forests/health/mpb.html • www.pc.gc.ca/dpp-mpb • www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/entomology/mpb/index_e.html • www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/ • www.barkbeetlelinks.ca • Call: 310-BUGS

  28. Mountain Pine Beetle – Mgmt Documents continued

  29. Mountain Pine Beetle – Preliminary Plan (Jumping Pound Creek)

  30. Mountain Pine Beetle – Visualization Modeling 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.

  31. Mountain Pine Beetle – Preliminary Plan (West Ghost)

  32. Mountain Pine Beetle – Questions???

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