The Effects Of The Pine Beetle Infestation In Bc

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English 150 – Research Essay 1 December 2009 The Effects of the Pine Beetle Infestation in BC British Columbia is a province known for its beautiful forests filled with tall, green pine trees. However, today these forests are not so beautiful due to the mountain pine beetle infestation. The mountain pine beetle, otherwise known as “[d]endroctonus ponderosae, is a small insect, less than a centimeter long, which lives most of its life under the bark of pine trees, including lodge pole, ponderosa and western white pine”(Natural Resources Canada). Ordinarily the pine beetle plays a meaningful role in the life of a forest as they help the forest by “attack[ing] old or weakened trees, speeding the development of a younger forest. However, [that is not the case today.] [U]nusually hot, dry summers and mild winters in central British Columbia during the last few years, along with forests filled with mature lodge pole pine, have lead to an epidemic”(Natural Resources Canada). Although, before you can really understand how serious of an issue this epidemic is, you must first know how something as seemingly insignificant as a pine beetle, can cause so much damage, and what the three most destructive effects of this beetle infestation are. The most devastating effects from the pine beetle infestation include; the destruction it has caused throughout BC already, the devastating Co2 impact it has on Canada, and the downward spiral it has put on the forestry economy. In order to better understand the effects that the mountain pine beetle has on BC, it is first important to know a bit about the beetles and how the attack begins to how it ends on each tree they infest. The mountain pine beetle “is a naturally occurring insect that starts its attack when a female uses its senses to find a pine tree that is at least 80 years old” (Straight). After the female has

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