Impact of Pine Beetle

[waistdeep]

So what is the general concenus of how game is going to be impacted by our realities facing the forests? Are the game patterns going to change, say the same or lower the survial of game?

[horshur]

So what is the general concenus of how game is going to be impacted by our realities facing the forests? Are the game patterns going to change, say the same or lower the survial of game?

do some research on wells gray park and the moose hunting it once had..all do to fire. Fire that burned after a pine beetle attack.

ungulate populations are going to go through the roof.

[The 'Hummer']

A couple of weeks ago we had a work party of sorts on our cabin at Bowron Lake. One of the next projects will be to knock down all the dead pines on the property. Suprisingly enough, there are two still surviving. I don't know what the Pine Beetle kill will have on the animals but I imagine it will be significant, especially when you take into consideration the percentage of Pine in the forest.

[rocksteady]

There is a tonne of reading on the net, following the history of the Beetle in BC. Some very scientific technical reports that gives me a skull cramp, but if you read the executive summaries, it should give you the basics....

I believe most of these reports are avaialable from the Canadian Forest Service. The Provincial Forest Service are the managers and stewards (by mandate) but the CFS is more of a research body....

The beetle has been around BC for a very long time. One of the first outbreaks was in the Flathead in the 70's/ East Koots in the late 80's and now whats left (mature pine) hit in this wave.....

The beetle has also been in the upper interior (tweedsmuir) since the mid 80's and may be the source for this latest epidemic....


One of the impacts of a large scale beetle epidemic is by the trees dying, they are no longer drawing up water, which in turn raises the water table and thus changes the whole plant community from the forest floor up...

[moosinaround]

It will open the sites up to pioneer species, like willow alder aspen birch, pine, and tons of herbaceous veg. There will be lots of browse for forage. Moosin

[Avalanche123]

Might be alot tougher on the fur bearing animals who generally prefer more mature timber. (That said, if the moose population thrives, I suspect wolves won't be too far behind....)

[waistdeep]

Interesting bi-product or result is the raising of the water table. :???:

[6616]

Doug Janz did a report under contract to MOE on this shortly after he retired. I don't think it's on the web but I have an electronic copy if anyone wants it.

[waistdeep]

PM me I would be interested.

[Fisher-Dude]

I found the bucks (muleys and whitetails) we were chasing in region 3 late season to be very safe out in the massive clearcuts. They tended to hang close to the little timber patches (20 - 30 fir vets left on a rise). With all the pine gone, they would simply bed in those big firs and watch. Once we got to within 600 - 700 m, they would trot away in the opposite direction. Trying ambushes and pushing them at each other was fruitless, as they had visibilty in all directions. It was much easier to get closer to them when the timber was still there, IMO.