Forest fires.

Parks Canada:

Mountain pine beetle are a natural part of the southern Rocky Mountain ecosystem and have historically existed at endemic levels. This means that there is a normal, small population that is prevented from getting too large by natural factors like climate, predation and fire. Decades of fire suppression and climatic warming trends have helped beetle populations grow from endemic to epidemic proportions.

Dr. Allan Carroll of the Canadian Forest Service explains why:

"Pine forests in general, and in particular lodgepole pine forests, are historically of fire origin. Normally, these forests burn down and regrow and in fact they do it with a fair amount of frequency. We expect lodgepole pine, on average, to burn down and regrow every hundred or so years on a long, broad average. This has been a very effective thing and in fact it has made sure that the forest has been very variable over time because this means that bits and pieces of the forest burn down and regrow and as a consequence, we don’t have a lot of old pine. Now, this is where the mountain pine beetle enters the scenario, because what has happened is through our own fire suppression techniques, we have taken forest fire largely out of the equation and allowed the forest to grow and become old over large areas; and as a consequence, this means that mountain pine beetle has got a large food source because it likes old trees. So, given that we’ve taken forest fire out of the picture, it means that we’ve made a lot more food for the mountain pine beetle."

- https://parks.canada.ca/docs/v-g/dpp-mpb/sec1/dpp-mpb1a

We’ve messed up our forests, but nature always finds a way.

The beetles are controlled by cold weather, aren’t they?

Yes they are. They used to be wiped out during cold winters, thus their population was controlled. Now the winters are warmer and they survive and reproduce more to kill more pines.

Cold is one of the elements theorized that has a role to play, but it’s not a singular reason.

Forest fires, or lack thereof, are a much more important element to pest control than cold. BC’s interior also doesn’t get very cold, not Alberta cold. It’s a different climate west of the Rockies.

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Vista Point Construction Photos September 23, 2024

Ryan Cook

REALTOR® | RE/MAX Camosun