Mar 21 2007 - By JEREMY DEUTSCH - The mountain pine beetle epidemic has created a new headache for the region.

A University of British Columbia study released by Forest Practices Board Monday warned of dire consequences by excessively harvesting beetle timber and its hydrological effects.

Forest Practice Board photo

Salvage logging in the Baker Creek watershed west of Quesnel, where 80 per cent of the trees were removed.

“This is a heads up to all of the professional community about decisions they make with respect to salvage logging,” Forest Practice Board chair Bruce Fraser said Monday.

“They have to be balanced against decisions to conserve the watershed hydrology.”

The study revealed excessive harvest had a major impact on this region’s watersheds.

The harvesting has increased the chance of flooding in the Upper Fraser, Nechako and Fraser Plateau watersheds, especially during seasons with a high snow pack.

The study was conducted in Baker Creek watershed and focused on four scenarios.

Using a computer simulator, researchers were able to recreate the water flow from 1970, 1996, before the pine beetle, and 2005 during a full beetle attack, and what will happen in the future.

Researchers found at the current salvage rate, there will be an increase in the amount of floods – from once every 20 years to every three years, and size of floods will be greater.

Even though trees are dying, they still help reduce flooding by intercepting the snow, and providing shade so the melt is slower.

Excessively harvesting timber accelerates the melting process.

Sixty per cent of areas draining into Fraser River are heavily affected by pine beetle.

Unharvested wood also poses an increased fire risk.

“That’s why it’s such a complicated issue for foresters when deciding how to manage these issues,” Fraser said.

The board is calling for immediate mandatory assessments on all logging in watersheds affected by pine beetle.

Currently, assessments only have to be done on community watersheds.

“Watershed assessments are not actually required under current forest law, but we see that as a highly prudent thing to include in the professional assessment of watershed risk,” Fraser said.

The board doesn’t want to scare people with the report but they do want to sound the alarm bell.

“The balance of issues here of fire risk, hydrology, risk recovery of forest midterm timber supply and recovery of value all have to be factored into decisions,” Fraser said.

Only 10 per cent of Baker Creek watershed has been logged.

The regions that could be affected stretch from as far south as 100 Mile House, north to Prince George and west to Burns Lake.

The board said replanting the forest would reduce the hazard, but it could take up to 50 years to have a positive affect.

Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests and Range, said he met with Forest Practice Board and was told the ministry is on top of the situation and has adapted fairly well.

“We work with UBC scientists on modeling exercises on smaller watersheds, put hydrology in the mix with regard to all the forest plan on the professional compliance list, and continue to make sure we’re watching this stuff,” Coleman said.

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Coleman added the ministry advises everyone who plans on logging watersheds to take hydrology into account.

Coleman doesn’t believe a report like this would have further economic impact.

“There’s lots of wood and lots of opportunity, and we can still do all the stuff we need to do in forests, and still deal with watershed protection. And still have lots of wood left to cut.”

Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson said he’s been trying to call attention to the issue since last fall.

“We need to look at other values and other affects of the epidemic, rather than just pure salvage for timber,” Simpson, the NDP’s Forest Critic, said.

“This is not a small issue of ‘we’re going to have the odd flood event.’ This has significant ramifications for re-growing healthy forests, maintaining fishing streams, road stabilization, bridge stabilization – it’s a very significant issue we have to address.”

Simpson would like to see a communication strategy throughout the pine beetle region, adding there needs to be a wholesale shift in thinking, and the Liberal government needs to lead the way.

“This is a public good, safety for future generations issue,” he said.

“The government has an obligation to lead.”

FPB said it will continue to monitor the situation, but added by alerting the public, its work is primarily done.