Mountain Pine Beetles Research Paper

When trying to figure out what the greatest threat to the forests of British Columbia are, you could come up with many concepts. Such as forests fires, urbanization, deforestation etc. but is that really the most significant threat to them. One could argue each point but for my paper, I will focus on something you maybe didn’t even think of, mountain pine beetles. Gibson, K., Kegley, S. & Bentz, B. (2009), defined the mountain pine beetles as part of the insect species; in more detail they are called ‘bark beetles.’ They attach on to the under part of the bark of their host trees and live their whole life there (Gibson et al., 2009). There have been outbreaks in the past in British Columbia, mostly in the interior forests, where this has lead

The ‘Mountain Pine Beetle Program’ (2007), Canadian Government publication, stated that mountain pine beetles targets trees that are the oldest and sickest in that area, which keep the liveliness of the forest ongoing. The mountain pine beetles have been advancing since 1994 and in the past recent years, the magnitude and severity of this species has rapidly expanded (Taylor, S. W., & Carroll, A. L., 2003, pg. 10). “As of the year (2003), 4.2 million ha of red attack were recorded through aerial overview surveys in the province,” mentioned by ‘BC Ministry of Forests’ (2004). ‘The Forest Insect Survey Records’ demonstrate that there have been four to five notable outbreaks in British Columbia over the past 100 years (Taylor & Carroll, 2003, pg. 43), and Taylor & Carroll, (2003) stated that these outbreaks keep expanding over time towards the impacted areas. In the past, to control the pine beetles from getting over populated, we referred to the cycle of survival. Where our climates weather would take over, like cold winters and wildfires in the summer, and where woodpeckers would eat them to ensure that a handful of beetles only made it to adulthood (Mountain Pine Beetle, Canadian Government publication, 2007,