MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE EMERGENCY RESPONSE:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Government of Canada has provided the Province of British Columbia with financial assistance of $100 million to help mitigate impacts of the mountain pine infestation that is devastating Interior B.C. forests.

The Province has prepared a strategy – the Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency Response: Canada-B.C. Implementation Strategy – that outlines how the $100 million will be used over the next three years to help deal with the economic, environmental and social challenges created by this natural disaster.

Over the next few months, the Province will further refine and shape the implementation plan through consultations with First Nations and affected communities.

Wherever possible, these resources will build on other funding sources and provincial and federal government activities already underway. This funding will be available to First Nations, communities and industry to deliver programs that meet the objectives of the plan.

Fuel Management:

Beetle-killed timber can represent an added risk in the ignition and spread of wildfire.

The Canada-B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency Response calls for $24.8 million to be spent on fuel management treatments to reduce potential wildfire threats to communities and First Nations located in the infestation zone. The goal is for 26,000 hectares of Crown provincial lands in interface areas (where wilderness and urban development meet) to be treated over the next three years.

The money provided to conduct fuel management will be in addition to the wildfire-related projects jointly administered and funded by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the provincial protection program.

Spread Control:

The mountain pine beetle is a threat to forests both inside and outside of B.C.’s borders. Spot infestations have already appeared along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains and there is a tangible threat that the beetle could spread further into the jackpine forests of Alberta and beyond.

Delaying the spread of the infestation and protecting susceptible forests not yet experiencing epidemic conditions is a key part of the spread control program. The three-year plan calls for treatment of 10,850 hectares to minimize the potential for infestation spread.

The $21.7 million proposed for this area will augment the agreement British Columbia and Alberta signed March 18, 2005 to work together to control beetle populations along their shared border, as well as funding provided by the Forest Investment Account for bark beetle suppression.

Another $2.7 million is proposed to limit the spread of the beetle in parks and protected areas. This funding will treat at-risk sites through treatments such as controlled burns.

Community Support:

Projections indicate that, at the current rate of spread, 80 per cent of the province’s mature pine will be dead by 2013. The expected drop in timber supply will significantly impact the economies of forest-dependent communities.

$13.2 million for the community diversification and stability program will go towards helping communities and First Nations plan strategies around the predicted declines in the allowable annual cut.

Funds will support the development of strategic regional business plans, such as those being prepared by the Cariboo-Chilcotin and the Omineca beetle action coalitions. Funds will also support initial costs associated with updating land-use plans in affected areas.

This program has synergies with other funding sources, including the Northern Development Initiative Trust Fund, the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust Fund, and several provincial and federal government programs for First Nations and Interior communities.

Range-dependent communities will receive $4.5 million over the next three years for arability studies and to help replace natural range barriers and range developments that may have been removed or damaged as a result of the beetle infestation.

Research and Development:

The Canada-B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency Response outlines two research and development programs – one for wood products and one supporting forest management in areas affected by the epidemic. These programs will provide scientific information to help mitigate beetle impacts.

$6.3 million is proposed to conduct research and development activities for identifying new products and applications for beetle wood, and opportunities for introducing them to new markets.

$6.7 million is proposed for applied research to assist with resource planning and decision-making around issues such as reforestation and sustaining non-timber resources. This spending supports the conservation of long-term values identified in land-use plans.

Research and development will supplement existing work conducted through the Forest Investment Account’s forest science and product development programs and through the federal government’s Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative.

Inventory:

As the nature and dynamics of B.C.’s mountain pine beetle infestation change, so do appropriate response strategies. Resource managers require current information to ensure mitigation objectives and performance measures reflect actual conditions.

$10.9 million is proposed to provide up-to-date timber and non-timber inventory data to resource managers. The information collected will assist with spread control planning and allowable annual cut determinations.

Ecosystem Restoration:

The Canada-B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency Response’s ecosystem restoration program will help ecologically sensitive areas that have been impacted by the mountain pine beetle infestation.

The focus is on species at risk, fish and wildlife habitat, beetle-attacked areas that won’t be harvested, and riparian and water quality issues. The goal is for 20 watersheds to receive restoration treatments over the next three years.

Further Financial Assistance:

The mountain pine beetle infestation is a forest health crisis with long-term implications for British Columbia.

The $100 million provided by the Government of Canada is a good start to resolving some of the issues described in the provincial Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan. However, there remains a pressing need for further federal support and financial assistance and the Province will continue to pursue additional funding from the federal government.

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Media contact:	Don McDonald Communications Director Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-8486

Visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services.