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

This document outlines the seven objectives of British Columbia’s Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan for 2005-2010.

The extent of the mountain pine beetle epidemic in the interior of British Columbia has grown well past the point of only being a forestry issue.

Cooperation and resources are now required from all levels of government, the forest industry and other agencies to mitigate the effects of an epidemic that has killed 283 million cubic metres of timber. Approximately seven million hectares (an area about the size of New Brunswick) were affected in 2004.

The Ministry of Forests projects that 80 per cent of the provincial lodgepole pine inventory could be killed by 2013.

The epidemic is creating a temporary increase in forestry activity as timber harvest levels are increased to use dead trees before they decay and lose their commercial value. But the harvesting and salvaging surge is expected to begin decreasing by the end of the decade.

The 2005-2010 Action Plan describes the provincial government’s response and provides guidance for all agencies involved in the effort to mitigate the impacts of this unprecedented epidemic on forest values, communities and the provincial economy in the short term, and to ensure sustainability in the long term.

1. Ensure long-term economic sustainability for affected communities by:

• Working with communities, First Nations and the federal government to identify alternative economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities that will be impacted by the projected decline in annual timber harvest levels.

• Encouraging established sectors like tourism and agriculture to operate to their maximum capacity, and to grow where feasible.

• Also encouraging the significant growth capacity of the mining and energy sectors as part of economic development and diversification.

2. Maintain and protect public health, safety and infrastructure by:

• Limiting expected impacts to forest recreation facilities, forest hydrology and watersheds, and the stability of steep hillsides where tree roots help hold the soil in place.

• Carrying out fuel management activities in areas where the beetle epidemic has seriously increased the threat of wildfire.

• Assessing the existing transportation network to ensure continued safety on roads seeing more traffic or changes in traffic patterns due to increased timber hauling.

• Providing adjustment programs and social infrastructure services for communities, workers and families requiring support as a result of employment and economic impacts.

3. Recover the greatest value from dead timber before it burns or decays, while respecting other forest values, by:

• Recovering economic value now by harvesting dead timber that is expected to remain commercially valuable for 5-18 years, depending on local conditions.

• Reforesting sites but also recognizing that maintaining a certain amount of damaged forests provides wildlife habitat, wilderness, and ecological benefits.

4. Conserve the long-term forest values identified in land use plans by:

• Working with land use plan monitoring committees and stakeholders to ensure that resource use and development objectives, and conservation and ecological objectives, continue to be respected.

• Taking into account in the mitigation plan that the epidemic has consequences for agriculture, tourism, conservation, wildlife habitat and biological diversity objectives.

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

• Focusing on early detection and removal of infested trees where it is still feasible to take an aggressive "leading edge" management approach, for example, in the Peace.

• Continuing to conduct ongoing detection and assessment surveys to monitor infestation levels and effectiveness of mitigation actions.

6. Restore the forest resources in areas affected by the epidemic by:

• Examining the opportunities and costs, including possible funding sources and new research, for silviculture techniques to address the mid-term timber supply gap.

• Restoring forest ecosystem productivity, reforesting, treating stands, improving forest resource inventory information, and encouraging adaptive management monitoring, research and innovation.

7. Maintain a project management structure that ensures coordinated and effective planning and implementation of mitigation measures by:

• Involving all levels of government as well as community groups and industries in important roles that contribute to the success of the Action Plan.

A complete copy of B.C.’s Mountain Pine Beetle Action for 2005-2010, along with other beetle-related information, can be downloaded from the Ministry of Forests web site.