Mountain Pine Beetle Research
|
Overview
Current Research Areas
Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Fisheries
Soils
Wildlife, Ecology, Range, and Biodiversity
Silviculture, and Growth and Yield
Strategic Analysis, Planning, and Decision Support
Climate
Genetics
Shelf Life
Research Extension Activities
Strategic Planning and Policy Consultation
Recent Publications and Presentations
Ministry Contact
British Columbia is currently experiencing the largest recorded mountain pine beetle
outbreak in North America. This epidemic has resulted in widespread mortality
of lodgepole pine, British Columbia interior’s most abundant tree species. As
mountain pine beetle populations increase in southern British Columbia as well
as at higher elevations there is also increasing mortality of both ponderosa and
whitebark pine. The epidemic puts many forest values at risk and threatens the
stability and economic well-being of many interior resource-dependent
communities.
The provincial
Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan identifies an overall goal to “sustain the
long-term economic and environmental well-being of impacted communities, while
dealing with the short-term consequences of the epidemic.” The Forest Science
Program has several multi-faceted research projects under way that support many
of the objectives identified in the Action Plan. Each year, landscape ecology
researchers update the Provincial-Level Projections of the Current Mountain Pine
Beetle Outbreak [link]
that predict the future extent of the mountain pine beetle outbreak.
These projections are used in a wide variety of research projects, including
models to assess hydrologic impacts to watersheds following both pine mortality
and any subsequent salvage harvesting.
The Research Branch has
developed a
Mountain Pine Beetle Stewardship Research Strategy and a
Mountain Pine Beetle Research Strategy Implementation Framework that
identify and prioritize knowledge gaps associated with the mountain pine beetle
outbreak and its impact on forest resources. Researchers actively participate on
policy and technical committees to co-ordinate research and extension
activities, and to ensure that information generated supports implementing the
Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan and parallel initiatives within the Ministry,
such as
Forests for Tomorrow and the
Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative.
This web page provides a summary
of the numerous mountain pine beetle research projects, extension activities,
and consultations taking place within the Research Branch and regional Forest
Science Programs. It is organized by the generic research disciplines defined by
the Mountain Pine Beetle Stewardship Research Strategy [link].
In addition, the Ministry Library has an
extensive bibliography on the mountain pine beetle. Other extensive
and detailed information about the mountain pine beetle and the current outbreak
can be found on the Ministry of Forests and Range mountain pine beetle
home page.
Hydrology, Geomorphology, and
Fisheries
-
Assessing small-stream temperature and riparian condition in mountain pine
beetle-and salvage harvesting-affected watersheds to identify their present
state of ecological function and to propose best management practices for
mountain pine beetle-affected areas. [more]
-
Conducting a retrospective study to determine the impacts of massive salvage
logging following spruce beetle infestation in sensitive drainages of the
Bowron watershed on the function of stream channels and riparian forests 30
years later. Research results will identify best management practices for
mountain pine beetle-related salvage harvesting activities at the
landscape/watershed scale.
-
Studying
hydrologic effects of mountain pine beetle management activities on stand
water balance and water-table elevations. Identifying where and why forested
and logged areas are wet. Developed effective watershed, forest cover, and
site indicators to assess watersheds at risk. [link]
-
Assessing the benefits and potential geomorphic and hydrologic consequences
of a variety of retention strategies at both the site level (e.g., riparian
reserves, partial cutting) and watershed level (e.g., Equivalent Clearcut
Area), and in a temporal context for water and terrain conservation.
-
Modelling hydrology and slope stability of mountain pine beetle-affected
watersheds.
-
Monitoring stream channel morphology in unlogged and logged watersheds
throughout the southern interior with very diverse historical disturbance
and ecology, and associated forest management concerns, such as use by
independent power producers, mountain pine beetle infestations and salvage
logging implications, susceptibility to climate change, and fire.
-
Determining the effects of forest cover on snow accumulation and ablation in
mature, regenerating, and clearcut forest cover types, as well as in areas
where overstorey mortality has occurred following mountain pine beetle
attack. [more]
- Initiating a project to
use novel aerial photography as an aid for sampling secondary structure in
lodgepole pine stands.
Soils
-
Investigating the impacts of intensive fertilization regimes on soil biology
in pine and spruce plantations in the interior of British Columbia, with
implications for mitigating mid-term timber supply falldown.
-
Providing technical expertise and problem-solving on forest management
concerns related to changes in soil-water relations and soil physical
processes within mountain pine beetle salvaged areas.
- Developing tools to more
effectively monitor the effects of the mountain pine beetle epidemic on the
spatial distribution of pine mushrooms. [more]
Wildlife, Ecology, Range,
and Biodiversity
- Developing and
parameterizing models for analyzing the spatial distribution of
mountain pine beetle
outbreaks in relation to
climate and stand characteristics. These models are important for
determining conservation implications and ecological restoration options.
-
Completing a database on natural disturbance that collects and digitizes all
available historical and contemporary maps of wildfire and insect outbreaks
in British Columbia (in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service).
This information will improve
understanding of the probability, frequency, pattern, and interactions
between natural disturbance events, such as wildfire and
mountain pine beetle
outbreaks. [link]
- Gathering and
summarizing current and historical literature on disturbance history for
each biogeoclimatic zone.
-
Studying the
implications of grizzly bear and moose response to historical salvage
logging for mountain pine beetle in the 1970s outbreak in the Flathead
Valley.
-
Re-measuring mountain pine beetle permanent sample plots to improve our
prediction of the ecological and economic benefits and tradeoffs of three
potential management options: no interference, prescribed burning, and
conventional timber harvesting.
-
Studying the implications of
mountain pine
beetle
salvage harvesting and
retention strategies on mountain and woodland caribou habitat, and
developing decision support tools that consider both spatial and temporal
placement of cutting treatments.
-
Conducting retrospective studies and monitoring ponderosa pine stands
affected by mountain pine beetle in the Thompson River valley.
-
Studying the impact of the
mountain pine beetle outbreak on wildlife habitat, breeding birds, and
biodiversity attributes in the Cariboo region.
- Developing multi-stand
planning and retention strategies to maintain landscape-level wildlife
habitat and biodiversity during the salvage harvesting of mountain pine
beetle-attacked areas in the interior. [pdf]
Silviculture, and Growth and Yield
-
Improving
our understanding of the impact of the mountain pine beetle infestation and
forest management responses on regeneration and stand structure. This research
supports modelling growth and yield impacts and evaluating regeneration
strategies.
-
Determining
the extent and abundance of secondary structure in stands heavily affected by
the mountain pine beetle, and using the model
SORTIE-ND to explore the implication of different silvicultural
strategies in beetle-affected forests.
-
Parameterizing TASS III for use in growing advanced regeneration to predict
viable future timber sources as well as to better understand and predict the
quality of wood from post-harvest and post-beetle stands.
-
Studying
the impacts of silvicultural treatments on wood
quality characteristics of
lodgepole pine to improve the modelling capabilities of TASS, such as the
effects of crown ratio on the transition from juvenile to mature wood
production. [abstract]
-
Determining
the carbon budget implications of a rapid input of carbon from the foliar
biomass loss that results from mountain pine beetle attack in lodgepole pine
forests.
-
Re-measuring
a 40-year-old selective logging trial to examine spruce regeneration under
different densities of pine.
-
Studying the
response of repressed pine to fertilization and thinning. An Extension Note
summarizes 5-year results of this study. [pdf]
-
Examining
the amount and distribution of advance regeneration in mountain pine
beetle-attacked stands in the Montane Spruce zone. [pdf].
- Studying the use of
fertilization, thinning, and vegetation management treatments for enhancing
early stand growth in mountain pine beetle-affected stands.
Strategic Analysis,
Planning, and Decision Support
-
Providing provincial-level modelling and
analysis of the mountain
pine beetle outbreak and management
responses. Refining models that analyze the impacts of the current outbreak and
management actions, including incorporating Landsat imagery to improve the
resolution of aerial overviews of forest health. [link]
-
Providing technical
support to develop new inventory and monitoring methods and procedures for
mountain pine beetle-affected
areas.
-
Providing analysis and
decision support to the Chief Forester, the Forest Analysis and Inventory
Branch, and District staff on the impacts of mountain pine beetle, including
developing summaries of annual and cumulative kill by management unit.
-
Updating
provincial tree species selection guidelines and developing decision-making
tools that provide science-based
information, analysis, and
reporting that will assist practitioners in their tree species management
decisions, in light of forest health considerations such as the mountain pine
beetle outbreak.
-
Designing
strategic analysis frameworks for forest and wildlife management that account
for the uncertainty created by such factors as mountain pine beetle outbreaks
and climate change. [more]
-
Developing a
toolkit model approach to sustainable forest management planning that better
achieves a balance between science and local needs.
-
Using
simulation modelling to examine long-term wildlife stewardship implications of
management strategies for the mountain pine beetle outbreak. This research
focuses on species associated with mid- to late-seral forest that are
potentially sensitive to habitat arrangement, such as marten, red squirrels, and
flying squirrels.
- Analyzing landscape-level
issues, including landscape-level disturbance ecology, patch size and
distribution, fragmentation, and seral stage distribution, to develop
decision-making models for planning and management in the southern interior.
Climate
-
Studying
and comparing the annual water balance of high-elevation lodgepole pine forests,
clearcuts, and regenerating stands, including snow and rainfall interception,
and snowmelt.
-
Studying the influence
of mountain pine beetle
disturbance on the forest carbon
balance at the Kennedy Siding ungulate winter range.
[more]
- Analyzing climate variability and trends in
northern British Columbia and relating them to a variety of forest management
issues such as the soil and hydrologic changes related to the
mountain pine beetle.
Genetics
Shelf Life
-
Modelling the 20-year
shelf life of mountain pine beetle-killed wood in terms of how log grades
change. By linking this to the projection of
mountain pine beetle
mortality, this research has improved knowledge of the available fibre supply
and economic outputs under various harvesting scenarios. [link]
-
Synthesizing information in a new Extension Note on
stand-level practices that will help protect and maintain habitat structure
and wildlife diversity during large-scale salvage harvesting. “Guidelines
for forest managers and planners.” [SI04 04
pdf]
-
Updating
the Mountain Pine Beetle Stewardship Research Strategy, in partnership with
the Protection Branch, to include fire management issues.
-
Providing advice to the Southern Interior and Northern Interior Regional
Management Teams on growth and yield and regeneration options in
mountain pine–beetle
infested areas.
-
Providing input and advice to the Nature Conservancy of Canada on how to
incorporate mountain
pine beetle impacts
in their Central Interior Ecoregional Assessment.
[more]
-
Reviewing Forest Stewardship plans for silvicultural prescriptions and tree
species selection in mountain pine beetle–affected
areas.
-
Advising
BC Timber Sales on options for dealing with the hydrologic concerns
resulting from salvage logging of mountain pine beetle stands.
-
Developing a web-based presentation to serve as a training tool on fire,
riparian zones, and the effects of the
mountain pine beetle
and salvage logging.
-
Developing a special topic
bibliography on
Mountain Pine Beetle that includes more than 800 citations, many
of which are available electronically.
-
Presenting the results of the mountain pine beetle simulation modelling and
the impacts of variable retention strategies on wildlife at a FORREX
workshop, reaching forest managers and practitioners throughout British
Columbia. [pdf]
-
Made major extension efforts
on mountain pine beetle effects on watershed hydrology, with presentations
to the Cattlemen’s Association, district Timber Supply Analysis steering
committees, Regional Management Team, First Nations Band Councils, and the
public.
-
Developing web page summaries
on hydrologic risks to third-order watersheds due to the mountain pine
beetle in the British Columbia interior. [link]
- Organized and presented
at the Mountain pine beetle and watershed hydrology workshop: preliminary
results of research from BC, Alberta and Colorad, July 10, 2007,
Kelowna, British Columbia. The goal of this workshop was to assist forest
managers and licensees to be proactive in planning salvage operations. It
was also of interest to non-forestry sectors, such as municipal and local
governments, concerned with flooding and water supply concerns. [abstracts]
Mountain Pine Beetle Stewardship Research Strategy
and
Mountain Pine Beetle Implementation Plan, Lead Co-ordination and
Technical Advisory roles – Provided the Chief Forester with an analysis of
forest stewardship needs and research knowledge gaps and priorities, identified
by both client groups and researchers.
Forests for Tomorrow
-
Operational Fertilization Program, Technical Advisory role
– Accelerating the development of immature spruce and Douglas-fir stands to
partially mitigate the negative impacts of the current mountain pine beetle
epidemic on the mid-term timber supply.
-
Developing site selection
criteria for Type I and Type II silviculture strategies, appropriate
fertilization, thinning options, and monitoring protocol. On-going
monitoring will validate current stand development models and predict future
growth response of treated stands, as well as determine the impact on
non-timber resources.
-
Advising on grass-seeding considerations following wildfires and assessing
older site preparation experiments for insight into management options post-mountain
pine beetle.
-
Effectiveness
Evaluations and Research Working Group
–Co-ordinating and implementing monitoring and evaluation projects related
to issues affecting forest stands killed by
mountain pine beetle
or wildfire.
-
Using
TASS III to grow advanced regeneration to determine whether there will be a
viable timber source in the future and to better understand and predict the
quality of wood from post-harvest and post-beetle stands, particularly in
areas managed for spruce.
- Providing technical
advice on issues related to the assessment of reforestation effectiveness of
burned and mountain pine beetle–infested lands specific to riparian areas.
Mountain Pine Beetle
Inventory and Monitoring Project Team, Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch
– Providing technical advice to the Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch to
develop new inventory/monitoring methods and procedures for mountain pine
beetle-affected areas.
Mountain Pine Beetle
Provincial Analysis Team – Mid-term Timber Supply Group, Forest Analysis and
Inventory Branch – Providing
technical input and tools for determining the impact of mountain pine beetle on
mid-term timber supply by forest management unit.
Mountain Pine Beetle
Survey Group, Inventory Branch –
Using model analysis and mapping products to assist in developing a field
sampling plan for infestation levels.
MPB Research Issues
Co-ordinating Committee – Chairing
a committee to coordinate research priorities and funding allocations between
all the various research agencies and funding bodies.
Inventory and Timber
Analysis Committee (ITAC)–
Addressing inventory-related issues associated with
mountain pine beetle,
including updating forest inventory, creating various mapping products of
mountain pine beetle
mortality, estimating shelf life, and incorporating secondary structure into
forest analysis.
First Nations Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative,
Technical Support – Providing support to First Nations in the development of a
strategy to address issues and concerns related to the effects of mountain pine
beetle in traditional territories
[more].
Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan - Biodiversity Conservation Strategy Committee
– Bringing science-based solutions to forest managers, including seral
definitions, patch size assessment, biodiversity / pine beetle management, and
landscape seral stage assessments.
Berch, S.M.
and R. Brockley. 2007. Impacts of fertilization on soil biota of young lodgepole
pine and interior spruce stands in the interior of British Columbia.
Presentation at North American Forest Ecology Workshop, Univ. British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C.
Berch S.M.,
R.P. Brockley, J. Battigelli, S. Hagerman, and B. Holl. 2006. Impacts of
repeated fertilization on components of the soil biota under a young lodgepole
pine stand in the interior of British Columbia. Can. J. For. Res.
36(6):1415–1426.
Brockley, R.
2006. Comparing the effects of urea and ammonium nitrate fertilizers on the
growth and foliar nutrition of lodgepole pine: 6-year results. B.C. Min. For.
Range, Victoria, B.C.
Exten. Note 78.
Brockley, R.P. 2007. Effects of
12 years of repeated fertilization on the foliar nutrition and growth of young
lodgepole pine in the central interior of British Columbia. Can. J. For. Res.
37: 2115-2129.
Brockley, R.P. 2007. Assessing
the effects of fertilization on understorey vegetation in young lodgepole pine
and spruce forests in central British Columbia. B.C. Min. For. Range, Victoria.
Exten. Note 81.
Brockley, R.P. [2007]. Effects of
post-thinning density and repeated fertilization on the growth and development
of young lodgepole pine. B.C. Min. For. Range, Victoria. Exten. Note. In press.
Brockley, R.
and P. Sanborn. 2007. Assessing the effects of Sitka alder on the growth and
foliar nutrition of young lodgepole pine in central British Columbia (SBSdw3):
9-year results. B.C. Min. For. Range, Victoria, B.C.
Exten. Note 79.
Brown, M., T.A. Black, Z.
Nesic, A. Fredeen, P. Jackson, P. Burton, T. Trofymow, D. Spittlehouse, D.
Gaumont-Guay, R. Ketler, D. Lessard, N. Grant, A. Sauter, V. Egginton, and A.
Hum. 2007. Impact of the mountain pine beetle on the carbon balance of lodgepole
pine stands in western Canada. Poster presented at the Kennedy Siding Mountain
Pine Beetle Research Field Trip, Oct. 30, 2007.
Campbell, E., R. Alfaro, and B.
Hawkes. 2007. Spatial distribution of mountain pine beetle outbreaks in relation
to climate and stand characteristics: a dendroecological analysis. J. Integr.
Plant Biol. 49:168-178.
Campbell, E. and A. Carroll.
2007. Climate-related changes in the vulnerability of whitebark pine to mountain
pine beetle outbreaks in British Columbia. Nutcracker Notes 12: 13-15.
Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use
Planning Biodiversity Conservation Strategy Committee. 2006. An integrated
strategy for management of biodiversity and bark beetles in Douglas-fir and
spruce stands. Cariboo Managers Committee, Biodiversity Update 7b. [pdf]
Coates, K.D., E.C. Hall, and R.
Astrup. 2006. Improving prediction of juvenile tree growth in mountain pine
beetle damaged stands. Extension Note. Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural
Resources Research and Management, Smithers B.C. Exten. Note.
DeLong, C.,
B. Heemskerk, and T. Milner. 2007. Monitoring ecological changes in MPB-impacted
stands. FIA-FSP Forest Science Corner. FORREX Forest Research Extension
Partnership. Link 8(1). [pdf]
de Montigny, L., G.
Nigh, and R. Archer. 2007. MPB research stewardship strategy implementation
framework. B.C. Min. For., Res. Br., Victoria, B.C. [pdf]
Dube, S., B. Chapman, and S.
Berch. 2006. Monitoring soil disturbance on harvested areas within the Mountain
Pine Beetle Infestation. Final Tech. Rep. FIS-Forest Science Program project
number: M065005.
Klenner, W.
2006. Retention strategies to maintain habitat structure and wildlife diversity
during the salvage harvesting of mountain pine beetle attack areas in the
southern interior forest region. B.C. Min. For. Range, S. Int. For. Reg. Exten.
Note RSI-04. [pdf]
Klenner, W.
and D. Lewis. 2007. Retention planning for wildlife habitat and biodiversity
during salvage harvesting, and some obstacles to implementation.
In
Overcoming obstacles to variable retention in forest management: Science to
management forum proc., Sep. 25-27, 2007. B.C. J. Ecosystems Manage.
8(3):157-163. [pdf]
Lindgren, P.M.F., T.P. Sullivan,
D.S. Sullivan, R.P. Brockley, and R. Winter. [2007]. Growth response of young
lodgepole pine to thinning and repeated fertilization treatments: 10-year
results. Forestry. In press.
Nigh, G., L.
de Montigny, M. Eng, and R. Archer. 2006. Development of a research strategy for
mountain pine beetle issues associated with Forest Stewardship Division
Functions. B.C. Min. For. Range, Res. Br., Victoria, B.C.
Tech. Rep. 034.
Newsome,
T.A. 2007. Stand tending or rehabilitation: can height growth in
height-repressed lodgepole pine stands be increased? B.C. Min. For. Range, S.
Int. For. Reg., Kamloops, B.C. Exten. Note 07. [pdf]
Redding, T. and R. Pike. 2007.
Mountain pine beetle and watershed hydrology: Workshop summary. Streamline
11(1). [pdf]
Redding, T., R.G. Pike, and P.
Teti. 2007. Understanding mountain pine beetle and salvage harvesting effects
on hydrological processes and watershed response. Poster Presentation.
Mountain Pine Beetle and Watershed Hydrology Workshop: Preliminary Results of
Research from BC and Alberta. Jul. 10, 2007. Kelowna. B.C. [pdf]
Rex, J. and S. Dubé. 2006.
Predicting the risk of wet ground areas in the Vanderhoof Forest District:
Project description and progress report. B.C. J. Ecosystems and Manage.
7(2):57-71.
Sanborn, P.T. and R.P. Brockley.
[2008]. Litter decomposition in a young lodgepole pine - Sitka alder stand in
the central interior of British Columbia. Plant and Soil. Submitted.
Spittlehouse, D.L. 2007. The
influence of mountain pine beetle on site water balance of lodgepole pine
forests. Workshop presentation at: Mountain pine beetle and watershed
hydrology workshop: preliminary results of research from B.C., Alberta and
Colorado. FORREX, B.C. Min. For. Range, B.C. Min. Environ., Canadian Water
Resources Association. Jul. 10, 2007, Kelowna, B.C. [abstracts]
Steen, O.A., M.J. Waterhouse,
H.M. Armleder, and N.M. Daintith. 2007. Natural regeneration of lodgepole pine
following partial cutting on northern caribou winter range in west-central
British Columbia. B.C. J. Ecosystems Manage. 8(1):61-74. [pdf]
Steventon, J.D. 2006.
Northern flying squirrels and red squirrels:
is there life after beetles and logging? Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural
Resources Research and Management. Exten. Note 2. 6pp. [pdf]
Steventon,
J.D. 2007. Landscape strategies for mountain pine beetle management: Some
stewardship implications. Forest Science Program, Forest Innovation and
Investment, B.C. Min. For. Range. Victoria, B.C. Annu. Progress Rep.
Steventon,
J.D. and F. Doyle. 2007. Role of complex stands in conserving vertebrate
diversity in beetle affected landscapes. Presentaion to Complex Stands Research
and Management Conference. Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural Resources Research
and Management, Smithers, B.C. Mar. 2007. [pdf]
Uulina, L., B. Guy, and R.G.
Pike. 2006.
Hydrologic effects of mountain pine beetle in the interior pine forest of
British Columbia: Key questions and current knowledge.
Streamline Watershed Manage. Bull. 9(2) [pdf]
Walton, A.
and J. Hughes. 2007. Provincial-level projection of the current mountain pine
beetle outbreak: Documentation of revisions to the model resulting in BCMPB.v4.
[link]
Walton, A.,
J. Hughes, M. Eng, A. Fall, T. Shore, B. Riel, and P. Hall. 2007.
Provincial-level projection of the current mountain pine beetle outbreak: update
of the infestation projection based on the 2006 provincial aerial overview of
the forest health and revisions to “the model” (BCMPB.v4). [link]
Xie, C.-Y.,
J.C. Murphy, and M.R. Carlson. [2006]. Predicting individual breeding values and
making forward selections for seed production of interior lodgepole pine (Pinus
contorta ssp. latifolia) in British Columbia. New Forests. In press.
Yanchuk, A.D., J.C. Murphy, and
K.F. Wallin. 2007. Evaluation of genetic variation of attack and resistance in
lodgepole pine in the early stages of a mountain pine beetle outbreak. Tree
Genetics and Genomes. In press.
Jennifer Burleigh,
Mountain Pine Beetle Research Specialist
Ministry contact:
Evelyn Hamilton.
Please direct questions
regarding webpage to For.Prodres@gov.bc.ca
Updated February 2008 |
