At the 2012 Mountain Pine Beetle workshop, hosted by the Foothills Research Institute, Dan Lux presented on the status of the mountain pine beetle in Alberta, and how the provincial program has evolved over the past ten years.
The program's annual cycle starts in spring with over-wintering success surveys. In summer, the beetles' fligh is tracked. Aerial surveys detect red trees that were attacked the previous year, much with Heli-GPS. The province's program goals are to protect the eastern slopes and watersheds, and slow the spread of the mountain pine beetle east into the boreal forest.
Dan Lux is Manager of Forest Health for Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development.
