By rdnewsNOW staff

Town council receives Mountain Pine Beetle update

Dec 7, 2018 | 2:50 PM

Rocky Forest Area Manager Kevin Gagne and Forest Health Officer Pam Melnick updated Rocky Mountain House town council this week on the province’s work on controlling the spread of mountain pine beetle.

Currently, there are 400,000 hectares affected by mountain pine beetle in Alberta. The province is aiming to slow the spread north and south along the foothills, and eastward, from the Edson area, with single-tree control.

In the Rocky Forest Area, about 700 trees infested with mountain pine beetle were cut and burned last year, up from 37 trees in 2017. For the first time, baited trees caught flights of beetles along Hwy. 11 west of Rocky Mountain House. Mountain pine beetle has also been confirmed on a private property near Cow Lake, and two properties north of Leslieville.

There are provincial grants available for landowners and municipalities looking to control mountain pine beetles on their properties.

Councillors also agreed to draft a letter of support for Alberta Forest Products Association’s request for federal funding to continue mountain pine beetle control.

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(Town of Rocky Mountain House)