There are growing concerns that the mountain pine beetle may not stop at the Rock Mountain Divide, the eastern limit of its natural range. The beetle is primarily associated with Lodgepole Pine and is known to also have a taste for Ponderosa Pine and Western White Pine. All of these pine species reside on the western side of the rock mountains.
To the east, the boreal forest continues in a band right across Canada and contains mainly Jack Pine, Red Pine and further to the east the Eastern White Pine. At it’s junction with the western plateau forest, Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine regularly cross breed. Here is where the beetle could find a path into the boreal.
What is unknown is if these eastern pine species will be suitable hosts for the beetle, and in particular will they be a suitable host for the blue stain fungus (ophiostomatoid fungi) that the beetles carry with them. The fungus plays a large role in allowing the beetle to overwhelm a pine tree’s natural defenses, and it is the fungus that ultimately does the tree in. If the boreal pine forests are not susseptable to the fungi then the beetle will likely not spread beyond the rockies. But if those forests are vulnerable to the fungi, then watch out.
At the current beetle population levels a boreal infestation would possibly make its way right to the Atlantic Coast. This is a global warming induced problem, so the likelihood of getting a winter cold enough to stop them in their tracks is highly improbable. And based on British Columbia’s attempts at halting the scourge, forestry practices such as fall and burn, salvage logging, and even mass clearcutting do not stand a chance at controlling them.
And what are the odds we could possibly reverse the global warming trend fast enough to allow a cold winter to enable a mass cull on the mountain pine beetle. A snow balls chance in hell, or the arctic ice field, for that matter.
The beetle’s have already crossed the divide in Alberta. And are currently spreading through the hybridized lodgepole/jack pine stands. What we don’t yet know is what happens once its made its way through these hybrids that obviously have enough lodgepole pine traits to allow the beetle’s to consider then suitable hosts. Will the thoroughbred Jack Pine be just a vulnerable?
The Canadian Forest Service is conducting studies to determine if Jack Pine is susceptible to the ophiostomatoid fungi and are tracking its spread through “novel habitats” in Alberta. But for the most part it’s really a matter of waiting to see what will happen.
In Kamloops, British Columbia, the effects of mountain pine beetle damage is very visible and being felt inside city limits. The hillsides of the valley that surround the city are turning red as the majority of the trees are dead and dying. Residents living on the mid elevation areas are losing the beautiful big Ponderosa pine tree’s that once added great value to their properties. And property owners at higher elevations are seeing the same in lodgepole pine.
These dead trees now pose a financial liability and home owners are forced to pay to remove them. Home owners insurance policies will no longer cover damages caused by a falling tree or limb when that tree was obviously dead and could have been removed.
And now it appears that the real estate market is being influenced by the beetles as well. Buyers are insisting that sellers have pine beetle killed, or infested, tree’s removed. In some cases this is being worded it into their purchase offers as a condition of the sale.
It appears that the Global Warming induced mountain pine beetle epidemic has advanced from the forests of British Columbia, Washington, and Idaho and is now showing an alarming presence on the internet. Yes it’s true. If you are reading this then you are a direct witness of this event. This blog is all the evidence you need.
The Beetle Blogger will be presenting information, both fact and rumor, about the current pine beetle infestation, mainly regarding its impacts in British Columbia as this is where the largest impacts are being felt but we will also be commenting on developments in the Western United States as well.
This is the very first post after the WordPress software was installed onto the server, about 15 minutes ago. Comming next will be a custom template to give the Beetle Blogger a nice new look. Also this blog is currently running on pinebeetleblog.com. It will be moving to beetleblogger.com in the coming days as we work on setting that one up.
A special thank you to Adam Knott in Sequim, Washington who graciously transfered the beetleblogger.com domain today. Some technical “stuff” is delaying using this domain right away, but it should resolve itself soonish.
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