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British Columbia’s Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan 2005–2010

Objective #5

Prevent or reduce damage to forests in areas that are susceptible but not yet experiencing epidemic infestations.

In areas that are not yet experiencing an epidemic but have mature pine forests (e.g. the Peace River Region) it is feasible to prevent or reduce damage by focusing on early detection and removal of infested ("green attack") trees. Even within the boundaries of the main epidemic area there will be isolated areas where the forest conditions and values at risk require this aggressive "leading edge" management approach.

2005/06 Actions:

  1. Continue to establish Emergency Management Units, as needed, according to science-based criteria and the appropriate forest management strategies applied.

    2. Under the Bark Beetle Regulation the Province established an Emergency Bark Beetle Management Area, within which Emergency Management Units are identified. Continuing under the Forest and Planning Practices Regulation of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the units will be designated either as "aggressive" management or "sanitation" management, and action will be taken accordingly.

  2. Continue to conduct timely and appropriate detection and assessment surveys to monitor the level of infestation and success of mitigation actions.

    3. In areas where prompt action can prevent or reduce the spread of an epidemic, regular, timely and accurate surveys will be done to identify infestations and develop an immediate response.

  3. Continue streamlined approach to operational planning and approvals for access and harvesting where necessary to achieve beetle management strategies

    4. The Bark Beetle Regulation and the Forest and Range Practices Act provide for the ability to expedite government approval processes where emergency timber harvesting is necessary to achieve the established management strategy.

Five-Year Actions:

  • Update the inventory of susceptible timber stands.

    • An important aspect of managing susceptible timber stands is to provide updated inventory information reflecting the current species and age distribution. The information will be used to assist priority setting and harvest scheduling.

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