Alberta admits pine beetle probably 'here to stay'

Alberta has made some progress in itsfight against the mountain pine beetle thanks to last winter's severe cold weather, but the pest remains a long-term threat, Sustainable Resources Minister Ted Morton said Thursday.

The minister was providing an update following government surveys done in the past two months.

In the forestsaround Slave Lake and Whitecourt, in the north-central part of the province, beetle populations showed only slow growth, something experts attribute to the bitterly cold winter.

But in the Grande Prairie and Peace River areas, in northwest Alberta, thenumbers continued increasing rapidly, officials said.The same trend was recorded in areas of southern Alberta, around Canmore, and in the eastern Rockies.

"Pine beetles may be here to stay in Alberta," declared Morton.

"We have to work harder to manage infestations and ensure the populations remain low. Scientists are telling us that strong action at this time can be an effective tool to control their spread in our forests."

The beetles, which are as small as a grain of rice, attack mature pines, tunneling into the trunks and spreading a pathogenic fungus.

Alberta has already announced plans to spend more than $55 million this year to battle the pest, on top of more than $134 million spent over the past two years.

Up to six million hectares of pine forest in Alberta are at risk of being affected, or about 15 per cent of the province's total forest, provincial officials said.

The province has been waging its battle against the beetles since 2002 when the pest began being carried into Alberta from British Columbia, where it was responsible for the destruction of up to 80 per cent of all mature pines.