Too early to know effect of cold snap on area mountain pine beetles: Expert

Jan 29, 2020 | 5:30 AM

One local expert says it is too early to say if the -30-something weather earlier this month will help bring down the mountain pine beetle population.

Forest Health Officer for the Grande Prairie Forest Area Devin Letourneau says they will be doing mortality surveys in the spring.

He adds the cold weather will have an impact.

“You really need levels as high as 95 per cent mortality for population levels to be suppressed. So, we do expect to see some mortality. The models are predicting levels that are quite high right now, so this could help create a dent in populations, which could help in control activities.”

He adds populations in the Peace are decreasing.

“For example, 2014-15 season, our Level One control program, we controlled over 106,000 trees and this year, we’re down to controlling about 5,000 trees.”

Letourneau adds this shows cold weather, control programs and harvesting of trees by industry are all helping to bring down the mountain pine beetle population.

Some control work is planned for areas south of Grande Prairie this year.

“We haven’t seen an in-flight from Jasper here in the Peace Country. That in-flight, from what we can tell from our surveys, has mostly stayed in the Hinton and Edson area, as well as a little bit into the Whitecourt area.”

“We’re too far north, although those populations could become established and then could contribute to populations building up again to the south of Grande Prairie.”

Letourneau says those mortality surveys will be done in May and early June.

by Curtis Galbraith