Pine beetle kill less than projected, says chief forester

B.C.’s chief forester painted a mountain pine beetle picture both good and bad Thursday for silviculturalists gathered in Kamloops.  The good news is the historic infestation that destroyed Interior pine stands through the middle of the last decade wasn’t as destructive as first feared.

“In 2006, we were projecting a mountain pine beetle kill of 80 per cent of pine by 2013,” Jim Snetsinger told a convention of the Western Silviculture Contractors’ Association. “Our 2011 models . . . now tell us mountain pine beetle will kill about 61 per cent of susceptible pine by 2021.”  Feb 02, 2012 Kamloops Daily News  Read More