Richard Watson, Weyerhaeuser Canada, describes the status of mountain pine beetle (MPB) attacks in the Smoky Region, northwest Alberta. The large inflight of 2006 started the MPB attack but was dwarfed by the massive inflight of MPB from BC in 2009. The bad news is that about a million trees have been infected. 40-50 km south of Grande Prairie virtually every mature lodgepole pine is dead. But in the east and south of the Smoky Region the MPB are not doing very well even though there initially was some limited infestation. Continued funding for MPB control is crucial. Forecasted conifer annual allowable cut (AAC) reduction could be as high as 35% in the next ten years. A crucial question is the shelf life of MPB killed pine. Richard Watson lists some questions they need answered in terms of future timber supply. Certainty around wood supply is needed to keep forest companies investing in their processing plants. He describes some of the operational tactics that forest companies are using to extend their forest supply. Learning from BC's experience is important. And regular first-hand observations of the landscape is essential. For the Smoky Region, timely knowledge is a must.
Richard Watson is a member of the Grande Prairie Regional MPB Planning Group and a forester with Weyerhaeuser Canada. His presentation was part of the Foothills Research Institute's Mountain Pine Beetle Forum for Researcher-Practitioner Information Exchange at the University of Alberta, April 24, 25, 2013.
