Mill explosions ‘new territory’ for B.C.’s beetle-ravaged forest industry

 Sawmill explosions in the B.C. Interior have thrown the province’s forest industry into turmoil, raising concerns that the mountain pine beetle’s damage to the sector may be entering a new and more deadly phase. The potential for dry beetle-killed wood to pose a safety hazard comes at a time when the industry is struggling to cope with pine beetle impact.

“We are in new territory,” said John Allan, president of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries. “These two mills blew up. They just didn’t catch fire. “The beetle has infected every aspect of the business,” Allan said Thursday.  By GORDON HAMILTON  Apr 26, 2012 Vancouver Sun