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The mountain pine beetle epidemic is causing environmental and social impacts to much of British Columbia. Our forests are very important and will no longer be able to maintain their role if changes are not made. The devastation has had a sweeping impact on B.C.’s ecological, and economical well-being. Additionally, recent studies are drawing attention to the carbon-emitting properties of the dead forests, which is a global concern.

A popular misconception developed that the current provincial mountain pine beetle epidemic began in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. While there is a very large infestation in Tweedsmuir that has no doubt contributed to the beetle population in some areas of north-western BC, infestation centres in many other lodgepole pine stands across the north central and southern part of the province also developed almost simultaneously with the Tweedsmuir infestation and have rapidly grown beyond control.


Since 1991, the traditional early season freeze would that kills the beetles and controls their reproduction has been missing as we have experienced generally warmer and shorter winters. Hot dry summers in 1998 and 1999 and again in 2003 weakened the old pine trees so they couldn’t resist beetle attacks. The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) will attack most Lodgepole Pine beginning with trees of about 20-23 years of age and continuing to old growth, however it prefers to start with the most thriving, mature or thrifty trees first. Before fire-fighting efforts began in this province, natural fires claimed about 500,000 hectares of trees a year. Up until the large fires of the 2003 and 2004 seasons, fire suppression brought this number down to about 25,000 hectares a year resulting to large volumes of older trees. Lodgepole Pine normally regenerate through forest fires, natural or man caused. In fact, the cones are actually adapted to this. They will not open to release their seeds unless they are heated to more...