The Beetle Challenge: An Overview of the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic and its Implications 

Kim McGarrity and George Hoberg

POSTED August 3rd, 2005

The current mountain pine beetle outbreak in the interior region of British Columbia is the largest in recorded history. The scale and intensity of the epidemic pose massive economic, environmental, and social challenges to the province. The infestation is projected to kill 80 per cent of merchantable and susceptible lodgepole pine across the province, BC’s most commercially important tree species. In an effort to capture as much of the economic value of the resource as feasible, harvest levels in the region will be increased significantly over the next decade. This large scale salvage operation, as well as the infestation itself, poses significant risks to conservation values in the region. After the salvage “uplifts” are complete, communities will have to adjust to a harvest levels significantly below those existing before the outbreak. Thus far, the epidemic has been concentrated in British Columbia, and is starting to spill over into Alberta’s lodgepole pine forests and western states. If the infestation spreads to jack pine, boreal forests across Canada may be at risk.

This website is designed to be a guide to the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic and the challenges it presents. It provides information and resources on the infestation itself, government Mountain Pine Beetle initiatives, and current research. The site has been divided into eight sections, each detailing an important aspect of the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.

1. Overview of the Epidemic

2. Magnitude of the Problem

3. Controlling the Spread

4. Optimal Harvesting

5. Conservation

6. Designing and Developing the new Forest

7. Building Industrial and Community Capacity for Uplift

8. Products and Markets

9. Facilitating Community Adjustment to the Falldown

10. Governance and Policy

The mountain pine beetle problem is enormously complex and dynamic, and this is just one attempt to frame the problem. We encourage comments, either on the substance of the presentation, or suggestions for additional resources to cite.

For more information on organizations concerned with the Mountain Pine Beetle and current research projects consult the McGregor Model Forest Bark Beetle Links website.

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About the authors:
Kim McGarrity has a BA in Geography at UBC and is in her first year of UBC law school.

George Hoberg is professor and head of the Department of Forest Resources Management at UBC.