Mountain pine beetle population has declined by 98 per cent: province

Possible signs of pine beetle within the Valory Resources Black Eagle Mining Corporation site west of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., Tuesday, June 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

The provincial government says a strategy of "aggressive control" as well as some help from Mother Nature is working to prevent a destructive infestation of Canadian forests.

For the past 15 years, the Alberta government says it has been dealing with mountain pine beetle, a pest it says is the most destructive problem facing pine forests.

Officials said Thursday that diligent work and frigid Alberta winters have had "striking progress" against the pests.

"The mountain pine beetle is a significant threat to our province's forested lands, and we are working hard to protect the health of our forests and the livelihoods of thousands of Albertans," said Todd Loewen, Alberta's minister of forestry and parks, in a statement.

The province says since the beetle's peak in 2019, populations have declined by 98 per cent.

The mountain pine beetle carries a blue-stain fungi that spreads to the tree and destroys its tissue as the insect burrows into it to feed.

Officials say this process gives the beetles an ability to kill large tracts of mature pine.

According to the Alberta government's website, the beetles are killing up to 90 per cent of tree populations in several forest areas.

Some of the management options the province employs include population management, cutting and burning infested trees and harvesting vulnerable pine before it can be attacked.

Extended periods of extreme cold can also help by wiping out populations of over-wintering beetles.

Further information about mountain pine beetle in Alberta can be found online.