Jasper National Park could face 'change in landscape' due to mountain pine beetle infestation

Faced with increasing losses of millions of trees being killed by the dramatic spread of the mountain pine beetle, Jasper National Park has come up with a new plan to halt the beetle's infestation.

A new management plan was released July 22after a tripling of the beetlepopulation in the park over the past two years.

"I'm astounded at how quickly and rapidly the beetle has affected the pine forest through these valleys," said Keith McClain, the program lead for the mountain pine beetle ecology program at the Foothills research institute in Hinton.

I'm astounded at how quickly and rapidly the beetle has affected the pine forest through these valleys.- KeithMcClain

Just a couple of years ago park officials were only counting individual trees attacked by the beetle. The insectcauses its devastation by burrowingunder the tree bark and stops the flow of nutrients.

Parks Canada believes large swaths of the forest have been affected, with an estimated 21,568 hectares of lodgepole pines killed by its invasion.

"Jasper is facing a change in the landscape, from nice green pine stands to red pine stands," said McClain.

The pines turn red after they have succumbed to the beetles' onslaught.

Parks Canada confirms affected areas include trees in the Miette River Valley corridor along Highway 16 west of the Jaspertownsite.

'Mass Attack'

Trees along Maligne Lake Road and areas south of Jasper along theIcefieldsParkwayhave also been under attack from the beetle.

McClain, whose institute is researching and attempting to understand the ecology of the beetle in Alberta, describes the pest'sspread in Jasper as a "mass attack" and an "epidemic."

He says temperature plays a role, as warmwinters meanfewer beetles arekilled off in the cold.

To slow the spread of the beetle, Parks Canada has unveiled a plan that will use a number of approaches in working alongside the province of Alberta and the town of Jasper.

It includes doing prescribed burns as well as cutting down swathsof trees in an attempt to take away the beetles' food source.

The beetle is considered to be a naturally occurring species. But the park seesintervention as ameasured approach necessary in the circumstances.

"I'd sum it up as a reasonable response to a very difficult situation," said Salman Rasheed, resource conservation manager for Jasper National Park.

Mountain pine beetle is a tremendous challenge. It is rampant throughout British Columbia and Alberta now.- Salman Rasheed

"Mountain pine beetle is a tremendous challenge. It is rampant throughout British Columbia and Alberta now," said Rasheed.

He said the response Parks Canadais taking is needed for several key reasons, includingkeeping the park safe fortourists as well as people who live in Jasper.

Rasheedsaida beetle infestation of this magnitude results in a lot more standing dead trees. Thetrees aremore susceptible to other insect species, as well as stormspossibly knocking them over.

'We're doing what we can'

In addition to the danger posed to tourists,Rasheed said there's an increased risk offire.Three areas have been earmarked for prescribed burns of infected treesin Jasper, but anunusually wet summer hasmeant they haven't started yet.

He's hoping the burns go ahead before thesnow starts coming down. But theycan't go ahead unless conditions are optimal to make sure it's safe.The scale of the tree cutting measures are still to be determined.

Theapproach is one Rasheedsaid hebelieves will finallyslow down the beetle's advance.

"I'm fairly confident, I mean I think we're doing what we can.I think the jury is still out (and)we will need some follow-up monitoring to assess how effective our actions are."