Pine Beetle
Effects On Future Timber Supply Analyzed
Updated
analysis and the latest information on
B.C.’s mountain pine beetle infestation is provided in a new timber
supply
report, announced Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman.
“The
timber supply picture has changed as the
infestation has grown in size and complexity,” said Coleman. “This
report maps
out potential timber supply scenarios and refreshes our data package
for
planning sustainable forests and communities for the future.”
The
new report – Timber Supply and the Mountain
Pine Beetle Infestation in British Columbia: 2007 Update – is a
collective
analysis of the 20 most affected Timber Supply Areas in the infestation
zone.
The report is available online at [www.gov.bc.ca/pinebeetle].
It
reviews the current and projected state of
the infestation, and examines timber supply topics such as how long
beetle-attacked wood can be used for sawlogs, opportunities for
beetle-wood
other than sawlogs, the type of forests at-risk for infestation now and
in the
future, considerations in setting future cut levels, and potential
implications
of different harvesting strategies.
Ongoing
assessment and analysis of the
infestation is needed to ensure timber supply forecasts remain accurate
and
government, industry, communities and the province’s Beetle Action
Coalitions
have the best possible information for developing beetle management
strategies.
“This
analysis report will help inform
discussions and decisions on the environmental, social and economic
issues
surrounding the pine beetle epidemic,” said Donna Barnett, chair of the
Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition. “It won’t be easy, but by
continuing
to work together at the local, provincial and federal levels, we
believe the
Cariboo-Chilcotin region and other affected areas will emerge stronger
as a
result of the challenge.”
The
Ministry of Forests and Range has also
released a Sustaining Communities for the Future backgrounder. This
document is
a summary of government actions to date to mitigate the potential
economic
impacts of the beetle epidemic on forestry-dependent communities in the
Interior.
Monitoring
the effects of the epidemic and
salvage harvesting on the long-term timber supply to ensure economic
sustainability for communities is part of the provincial Mountain Pine
Beetle
Action Plan. For complete information on the Action Plan, or to
download a
copy, visit [www.gov.bc.ca/pinebeetle].
