The recent extreme cold in Alberta has done much to assist the province’s efforts in battling the mountain pine beetle. Mountain pine beetle populations in Alberta have declined 98 per cent since their peak in 2019, said the Ministry of Forestry and Parks. Extended periods of extreme cold below -38 C can cause up to 95 per cent mortality of over-wintering mountain pine beetles. …In Jasper National Park, the last population survey in late 2022 showed that the mountain pine beetle’s numbers have dropped 94 per cent since 2019. The survey also showed a sharp decline in trees killed by the pest for the fourth consecutive year with zero living larvae found. In order to mitigate the risk of wildfire and other negative impacts to the forest industry, watersheds and endangered species, the province will continue to invest in the mountain pine beetle control program to ensure its continued success.

Rachel Holt

Herb Hammond

A local ecologist who is often critical of the B.C. government’s forest practices is cautiously optimistic about a new plan to improve biodiversity and ecosystem health. Dr. Rachel Holt, in a public presentation, said the Draft BC Biodiversity and Ecological Health Framework, released in November, contains statements never before made by the provincial government. “It’s quite unusual for the government (to state that) the health of ecosystems and biodiversity is really paramount … and that the other things (including logging) have to fall into place around that,” she said. …Holt says the big question is whether the government can get all ministries on board with a new way of thinking. …She said the new framework document uses the term “ecosystem based management.” West Kootenay forest ecologist Herb Hammond has been using variations on that term, and helping his clients practise it, since the 1980s. He now uses the term “nature-based stewardship.”

After last year’s record-breaking wildfire season, crews across western Canada are looking to new technology to help in future fights. Alberta has added a new tool capable of tackling wildfires from the air — in the dark.

Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) received an update on the future of the Lakes Timber Supply Area from representatives of the provincial forest ministry. Anthony Giannotti, pricing and tenure director, informed board that the current allocations of allowable annual cut in the Lakes TSA have 970,000 cubic meters, which were decided in 2021. …Michael Riis-Christianson, said he was concerned about the shelf-life of burnt and mountain pine beetle-killed timbers and how these volumes can vary from the 2018 wildfires. …Neal Marincak, Nadina Natural Resource District’s resource manager, said from his understanding that Fraser Lake is still salvaging the 2018 wildfire burnt timbers and addressed that the shelf-life remains only for a year. …Clint Lambert was concerned about burnt timber sales and questioned where it could be salvaged quickly.

EDMONTON — Sunk in bedrock, the Marmot Creek well in Kananaskis Country has been there for generations, says University of Saskatchewan water scientist John Pomeroy. It’s one of the few groundwater monitoring wells that Alberta has in the mountains. Away from any human influence, it’s a good indicator of what’s actually happening. “The lowest water levels are all in the last seven years and the levels are much lower now than they were in the ’70s and ’80s,” Pomeroy said. “It’ll be a climate signal that we’re seeing.” …About 600,000 Albertans depend on groundwater, and scientists and rural officials say not enough is known about the effects years of drought have had on the unseen flows beneath our feet. “We have to make sure we’re managing groundwater and surface water as a common resource,” said Pomeroy. “If we deplete one, we’re depleting the other.”