Pine Beetle Problem

[Hurtin Albertan]

Greetings:

I'm looking at buying 5 acres of treed land in central British Columbia ( Quesnel ), but that area is currently being devastated by a Pine Beetle infestation that is killing off the trees. Does anyone have any personal experience with this issue, or have any advice?

Thanks.

[CanuckistanKork]

Lots of that here in Colorado. It's depressing to see whole hillsides of dead trees. Spraying in certain areas seems to keep it under control, but has costs. Some people have mentioned to me that because winters aren't as long/cold anymore, the pine beetles survive where they normally wouldn't in areas that have more sustained deep freezes.
I'd reconsider buying the land, unless you're prepared for an ongoing battle with spraying.
I'd buy something higher and colder.

[Hurtin Albertan]

I'm not too concerned about losing the trees since I'm a prairie boy from Alberta, but I'll need enough for the cabin/home. I'm just wondering about new industries that are being developed to handle the dead trees, and what types of trees are resistant to the beetle. Are there any problems besides the beetle kills? I'd obviously replant, so I'm wondering what species might be a good choice.

Maybe going further north might be an option. I'm in the Vancouver area right now, so Quesnel is only 7 hours away. Driving 11+ hours every couple of weekends might not be out of the question.

[lbrowne]

By the time you see signs on the tree it is beyond saving. I was concerned about some land we recently bought here in Montana. We decided the location and price were right anyway. When talking to someone with local knowledge at the forest service, he said that if you open up stands so there is 14-16 feet of distance between trees, 60-90% of the stand might be saved because of the higher temp. If more dense, you'll often lose 60-90% of the stand that is greater than 8" diameter at 4 1/2 feet high. Mountain pine beetles attack ponderosa and lodgepole; douglas fir beetles are a problem but not as prevelent. Pheromone packets, approx. $10 per tree, can help attrack beetles to a sacrificial tree. Then have the tree sprayed. Spray is layered on bark; beetles eat the bark. Timing is crucial. $40-100 per tree for spraying is what I was told are local going rates. This page: http://garna.org/beetle/part4.html has more info (and links) and suggests $10-$25 per tree.

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/faq.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1733330820070918
Regarding the southern pine beetle, but has some info on possible prevention and shows pictures of infected trees: http://eny3541.ifas.ufl.edu/pbb/SPB_Info.htm "Popcorn-like pitch tubes, running pitch, boring dust, and numerous holes through the bark are signs of bark beetle infestation."

We will probably only do some thinning and cutting out the trees already killed. We plan to get up there this fall to start on this. I'm hoping the majority aren't hosts (and I've been told they aren't) but I have a hard time identifying the different species so will have to continue learning.

If you really like the land, also consider timber value, the potential fire danger (exit routes/clearing around building site), etc. What would the land look like if you were to lose the majority of the timber? Would it still be desirable at all while new growth slowly comes back? Consider those things against other available land and the price for each. Worse case scenario for us, we'd be left with more views - not of the mountains that those on the other side of the hill have, but still nice views of a small closer hill with great rock outcroppings. We bought at a price that if the worse were to happen we still shouldn't be losing long term value. For now, we have plenty of poles for a jack-leg fence, lots of firewood and a great get-away spot!

Our biggest concern with building is to minimize fire danger and I've been researching that also. How far to cut around the house; sprinkler systems, roofing types/underlayment, etc. Cost is a concern, but so is safety. We have friends who live in an area that had a fire storm come through -they said it sounded like a freight train roaring through. I realize that's a slim possibility but very real, so best to minimize the dangers where possible.

Keep in mind that extra 4 hours each way adds up to 8 hours you could be enjoying your land instead of driving, not to mention the extra cost for fuel to get there. ;)

~ Linda

[rotorgoat]

I've got about 80 acres of mostly dead or dying lodgepole pine from beetle infestation and have been building with the trees. They are seasoned or nearly seasoned by the time I cut them and perfect for building. They do have a blue hue to the outer few inches of the wood after it's peeled but I don't perceive that as a problem. After you cut out your trees for building replant ASAP. The new and younger trees have a better resistance to the bugs as they produce more sap. You can see here in Wyoming the previous clear cut areas with new (10 -15 years) growth are nearly bug free. To bad the USFS didn't move quickly to harvest much of this while it was still marketable.

[Hurtin Albertan]

I'm not very fluent in the Pine Beetle problem, but I assumed that they ate the inside of the tree, effectively killing any kind of structual integrity. Do the beetles only eat the bark? Is the wood still structurally sound, only blue in colour?

Thanks for the links lbrowne, they look like a good read.

[rotorgoat]

The wood is not affected structurally by the beetle-the blue comes from a fungus carried by the beetle. Check out the web site on BC Pine beetles that Linda gave: under "How does the Pine Beetle kill trees"

[Hurtin Albertan]

Yup, sorry for the question. I found out what I needed from the links provided. Thanks again.