Mountain Pine Beetle: A Climate Change Catastrophe

This 10 min doc shows the devastation associated with the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak in BC and its relation to climate change.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• mountain
• pine
• beetle
• climate
• change
• global
• warming
• chinchilla
• robles
• bc
• british
• columbia
• canada

[gamesbok]

@dino44211 Possibly, but I would draw your attention to the Cod fisheries off Maritime Canada. 14 years that ban has been in force, and the cod haven't returned. It looks like the system has changed permeniently.

If the beetle problem is climate related then there is no prospect of it getting better.

[dino44211]

@MrXstacey

One of the more sensible approaches to this natural phenomenon. Why is everybody speaking of disaster when a forest dies off temporarily? Except for the economic loss in the short term there is not so much to worry about I would say.

[dino44211]

Even without man there would be a 200 year pine beetle catastrophe cycle. Whenever a long term natural process gets into a bad phase alarm bells are ringing. Putting the blame on man, climate, the beetle itself etc.. Maybe we should be aware that things that go well hundreds of years don't necessarily go well (our way) always. Probably above a critical tree density accompanied by a warm stroke of climate these epidemics occur. In itself it is a natural process that resets the natural succession.

[3340bobby]

in south of france where i live we have the same problem since last summer

The pine beetle appeared after a huge storm that badly damaged 1 milllion of acres of "maritime pine"

they already have killed millions of trees and are still spreading

Because of major drought this year we fear the worst for the remaining pines.....

[PacificCircle1]

similar to eco problems 1,000 miles to the south.

[onewhiteeye]

the reason this is happening is because there is no biodiversity. they should be cutting the forests down and replacing them with Red pines, oak trees, maple trees,willow trees and so on. this is what happens when you have a forest that is practically human made

[MTjepkema]

How about the fact that there is up to 4 times as much Lodgepole Pine in the interior of BC due to fighting fires.

They spend the winter under the bark. The beetles die after they lay there eggs. under the bark of the tree. If the eggs or larvae fall out of the tree during transportation they will die from exposure.

[1949daxxx]

How about we get some studies. Let's put a fine net around trees, cut them down, and haul by log truck. At the end, count the beetles in the net at the mill site, also count the beetles after the tree falls down. Then use nets when the tree is debarked. Also check the bark piles for beetles and count them. Find out how the beetle is spread. Of course if we humans spread them, and transport them all over the province, they will multiply, just like boats spread the white man to Canada.

[1949daxxx]

I want to know where the beetles spend their winters. Is it under the bark of trees, or do they go to Hawaii for the winter? If they spend the winter in the bark and that is when all the logging takes place, do the beetles get free transportation? Do the beetles have seatbelts, so they don't fall out of the log when they are transported? Do the beetles like the cozy log piles they end up in? What do the beetles do when the tree is debarked? Do they like to live in bark piles? Why no info

[1949daxxx]

It is strange that this epidemic is only blamed on warm winters or climate. Has anyb ody done a study on what role all the logging roads, clear cuts and logging trucks have on the spread of beetles? I am betting that if the white man never came to B.C., then there would be no beetle epidemics.