Managing the Effects of the Pine Beetle Infestation on BC’s Logging Communities

More than seven million hectares of pine forest in British Columbia are now infested with the mountain pine beetle and there is no end to the spread of the pests in sight. BC’s logging industry is ramping up operations to harvest the glut of dead timber left in the wake of the infestation. The increased harvest is a boon to the economies of logging communities, but when the dead timber is depleted, many regions will need a new economic plan.

British Columbia’s logging industry relies heavily on pines for timber. The fast growing trees make up to 80% of the harvest in some regions. While logging companies are required to replant the land they cut, it will take decades to replace the trees lost to the beetle infestation. Communities that depend on timber would be wise to use some of the current windfall to diversify their economies in preparation for the decline of the pine harvest.

Link: What a Black Beetle Can Teach Us from the Tyee

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:45 PM on July 7, 2005

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