Bruce Larson, professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, discusses the history of forests to show the context in which the mountain pine beetles (MPB) have been able to thrive. He talks about the major factors shaping temporate forests, such as large scale geologic events and large scale weather, as well as plate tectonics and continental drift. He covers changes that occurred 250 million years ago, and 15,000 years ago that have impacted factors such as where pine trees can prosper. He emphasizes the importance of considering the long term history of forests when researching MPBs to more fully understand the present situation.
This presentation was a part of the Mountain Pine Beetle Information Exchange Forum in Edmonton, in April, 2015.
