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PRINCE GEORGE – The Province will provide school boards with $1 million to help offset the costs of removing trees on school grounds affected by the mountain pine beetle, Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today.
“For safety reasons, many school boards have had to remove trees that have been damaged or killed by the mountain pine beetle,” said Bond. “This funding will help boards deal with the costs they’ve incurred as a result of the damage to trees on school property.”
The B.C.
School Trustees Association (BCSTA) will administer the funding. The BCSTA will
form a committee made up of representatives from affected school boards to
develop a plan for distributing the funding.
“With the funding announced today, school boards facing this natural disaster will be able to keep money in the classroom and address this safety issue on the school grounds at the same time,” BCSTA president Penny Tees said. “It is satisfying that the Province has heard our request and is providing funding in a way that will make it possible for school boards to work together to maximize the use of those dollars.”
The start of the current mountain pine beetle infestation in B.C.’s central Interior can be traced to 1993. The infestation is far ranging, reaching north to Fort St. James, east to Cranbrook, west to Terrace and south to the U.S. border. The mountain pine beetle is killing vast areas of lodgepole pine, B.C.’s most predominant tree species. Almost 25 per cent of B.C.’s forestland is covered by lodgepole pine forest.
To help teachers provide students with more information about the mountain pine beetle and its impact on British Columbia, many schools are using a teaching resource kit for grades 4-7. The kit is on the Ministry of Education’s recommended resource list and was developed by the Council of Forest Industries Forest Education Program and the B.C. Market Outreach Network. The kit is free to schools and includes a lesson plan, activity sheets, video, and samples of mountain pine beetles and bark.
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contact: |
Ministry of Education 250 356-5963 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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