When seeking clues to how well conservation efforts are working in the present, sometimes scientists look to the past — and there may be no better historical record than the forest surveys conducted in Missouri by the Bureau of Land Management in the 1800s. Using these historical records, University of Missouri researchers were able to…

An explosive outbreak of spruce beetles in northern B.C. forests is wreaking havoc on one of the key timber species remaining in the wake of the mountain pine beetle disaster. A recent provincial survey of spruce stands in the Omineca region north of Prince George shows spruce beetle populations have mushroomed from 2013, when they…

Three wildfires have already occurred in the Edson Forest Area since March 1. The three wildfires, causes unknown, arising from outdoor burning, were all less than one hectare, said Area Information Coordinator Joan Simonton, a forestry official with Agriculture and Forestry. “Winter burns can burn underneath the ground and reignite,” she explained. Campfires don’t need…

Premier Christy Clark says the province is committed to not repeating past mistakes when it comes to dealing with the recent spruce beetle epidemic. “What happened in the 1990s with the pine beetle infestation and how government sort of seat back and let it roll across the province is a legacy we are still suffering from…

B.C.’s newest Class A provincial park is an 11,000-hectare expanse of the world’s only inland temperate rainforest east of Prince George. Called the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Wudujut, the region is being added to B.C.’s parks by legislation introduced this week. Premier Christy Clark said the province is also applying to have the park named as…

A plan to address the latest scourge on British Columbia’s forests — the spruce beetle — will include an extra $1 million in funding and the appointment of a spruce beetle project manager. Native to B.C. and a common forest pest that usually feeds on the inner bark of fallen or weakened trees, the spruce beetle…

The provincial government has committed $1 million for the coming fiscal year and has assigned a resource manager to develop a plan to battle an outbreak of the spruce beetle in the Omineca region. Overhead flight surveys have shown an increase in affected area to about 156,000 hectares today from 7,653 hectares in 2013, Lands…

Trees in Newfoundland and Labrador may be doing a better job than anyone thought at pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Why this is the case, however, is not clear. A research scientist at Memorial University, who has been studying how trees in Newfoundland and Labrador’s boreal forest are becoming more efficient at removing carbon from the…

The pilot of a recreational drone that forced water-bombers from smoke-filled skies around Oliver last summer was never located, but future offenders who impede forest firefighters will face higher fines. Fines for 19 offences under the Wildfire Act, including interfering with wildfire protection efforts, are being increased to among the highest in Canada, Forests Minister…

Scouts Canada says it has “concerns” about a large clear cut proposed for Crown land bordering a camp used for generations in the St. Margaret’s Bay area outside Halifax. “It’s mostly aesthetics,” said Jeff Parks, a deputy commissioner with Scouts Canada Nova Scotia Council. “To have an ugly eye sore in there is not what anyone wants.”…