Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)

The Mountain Pine Beetle is the single most destructive insect in the Kootenay Lake Forest District, and in the province of British Columbia. It attacks lodgepole pine and several other pine species. Beetles enter through the bark and lay eggs in the inner cambium layer. Healthy trees can resist attack to some degree by secreting pitch which smothers the beetles. However, if beetles attack in overwhelming numbers, as is the case when major outbreaks occur, a tree will generally be killed within one year. The year after death, the foliage turns a bright red, but the beetles will have matured and flown to other areas by then.

As a general rule, older lodgepole pine trees are more susceptible, especially if under stress due to drought or overcrowding. Beetle populations often build up in windthrown trees, so outbreaks often happen several years after major windthrow events.

Options for control are limited. Use of pheromone (attractant) traps and quick harvest of recently-infested logs can reduce populations, but harvest of susceptible stands is usually the best way to salvage timber value.

Forest Health section

The hazard categories on the maps are as follows:

Category Hazard Rating

0 Nil

1 Low

2 Moderate

3 High

4 Very High