Coleman Says NDP Dropped the Beetle Ball

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 12:50 PM

BC Forests and Range Minister, Rich Coleman has a suggestion to the Ministry of Forests in Alberta and Saskatchewan, try and get ahead of the Beetle infestation when and if it hits your province. Coleman in Prince George , said BC has spent 13 million dollars along the border of Alberta in an attempt to stop the rapid progress of the beetles. They are moving fast and trying to get ahead of them has taken a major effort.

Coleman said it is his personal opinion that "The former NDP government let us down badly in the years prior to 2001 when we came to office. We as opposition were being criticized for the very thought of logging in the Tweedsmuir Park , the area where it is believed the beetles got a strong foothold back in the late 90’s." Colemansays that during those years "We as opposition were suggesting that we had to move in an aggressive manner to prevent a major out break but the NDP government and Forest Minister David Zirnhelt completely ruled out any thought of cutting in the park." That area said Coleman lies in ruin today as a result of the beetle attack.

"We didn’t spend any money at the time to see what was necessary to prevent a major outbreak and when we came into office in 2001, we discovered, to our horror, that we were facing a problem of catastrophic proportions. Now I understand David Zirnhelt has been approached to do work for the Caribou Beetle action group, given his record on the issue I question that."

The Province's forests were let down by the previous government Coleman added, whether this could lead to an infestation all across Canada is still not known.

"We have had bugs for years," the Forest Minister said, "We have helped them along by controlling forest fires in the 100 year old wood where the bugs got the major start, and not trying to head off the problem at the very beginning has cost us dearly. "

Recent studies have indicated that the bettles are able to ride the high air currents and their migration is difficult to stop. Some foresters are worried that the bettles could spread accross the entire northern regions of Canada.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 12:50 PM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Chadermando on October 18 2006 3:15 PM

Good to hear the government speak to truth for once in a rare long time. If David Zirnhelt is on the Omineca beetle Action Committee than I would say we have a problem. He has done enough for the beetles already, we don't need more of David and his lobbying efforts from the inside.

Posted by: owl on October 18 2006 4:40 PM

So is the MoF site linked below full of bull?????? Or is Coleman full of bull?????

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/conserve/pine_beetle/pine_beetle.html

"While it is true that portions of Tweedsmuir Park were centres of beetle population expansion, it is not true that this was the only centre of population expansion. To understand this, it is important to remember that mountain pine beetle naturally occurs in all pine forests in British Columbia at all times. Usually, population expansion is kept in check by cold temperatures. Current conditions (mild winters and abundant habitat) are such that beetles have been able to flourish and multiply rapidly."

Read the rest CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY and then let me know what you do not understand about natural disturbances in the forests.

So are we now all trying to be foresters????? Maybe we should let the MoF be the foresters and Coleman be the politician ...... I think Coleman needs to spend a bit more time with the foresters in his Ministry and cut the bs a bit .....

and here I thought the election was about to get underway in the USA not in BC .....

;-)

Posted by: diplomat on October 18 2006 5:35 PM

"The outbreak in Tweedsmuir Park was assessed by BC Parks and Ministry of Forests in 1994 and managed within the provisions of legislation."

Owl, you quote from the website, but in another paragraph on the same website it states the above.

Perhaps legislation ought to have been brought in and passed at the Legislature in 1994 in Victoria that would have empowered the Ministry to take more drastic measures/action (cutting in a park) which was not allowed under the then existing legislation???

A reading of the Hansard record would show if indeed the NDP resisted all opposition urgings that there should be "cutting in the park."

Posted by: banananuthead on October 18 2006 5:40 PM

So how long is this blame-the-NDP nonsense going to continue? The Liberals have been in office going on s6 years. Ain't it just about time they took a little responsibility for what they have and haven't done?

Posted by: rightwing on October 18 2006 7:17 PM

I just love the general bias in here. I take it most of you are teachers or are part of some other union?? But I have to thank you guys, I spend many hours on this site laughing as I read all you guys rave and rant. Very entertaining.
the one and only
-rightwing

Posted by: rightwing on October 18 2006 7:18 PM

maybe you guys work, opps....I mean worked at extra foods.

Posted by: Free Enterprise on October 18 2006 8:22 PM

You sure have not heard much from the NDP or their Tree hugger groups these days. OOPs I think they made a big boo boo. Now that the tree huggers� policies have or will wipe out allot of our forest they are most likely off to another country with a new rant to justify their existence.

Posted by: ammonra on October 18 2006 8:42 PM

The trouble with having the rightwing flapping is that it causes circular flying, in ever decreasing circles, until it disappears. We on the left wing counteract that and bring about a straight course. ;-)

Posted by: owl on October 18 2006 10:45 PM

Diplomat .... I said: "Read the rest CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY" ...

then you go and quote a very select portion of it and say "Ah ha!!!"

I assumed that when one reads, one reads objectively. I guess that was a wrong assumption on my part.

You chose not to quote the following: "The epidemic in Tweedsmuir WAS ONLY ONE OF THE MANY PLACES THAT THIS EPIDEMIC STARTED. There are epicenters (mountain pine beetle hot spots) south of Quesnel, near Fort St. James, south of Williams Lake, near Princeton and in the East Kootenays."

Why did you not include that?????????????????

We can all read, so don't try to pull the wool over our eyes. If you have a counter argument, then go for it and tell us why the MoF is wrong in stating that: "Tweedsmuir was only one of the many places that this epidemci started".

For instance, for each of those other epicentres, provide us with a reference that each one of those epicentres was controlled and that the spread from them was stopped and that the entire BC epidemic subsequently radiated from Tweedsmuir.

Park or no park, the initial problem is our managing of forest stands to suppress fire wherever possbile. Fire is a natural disturbance which has a biological function.

One way or another, old growth forest will renew itself over time, whether through fire or pests or whatever. Tweedsmuir was just one area where the beetle managed to grwo beyoned its normal presence. In all areas where there were epicentres the conditions for its spread were right - raw material and weather conditions allowed it to grow. Beetles have always existed everywhere and have typically been controlled by cold weather.

Posted by: Chadermando on October 18 2006 10:48 PM

Wasn't Zirnhelt representing the native band as a consultant at the same time he was Forest Minister and then pulled the Dunkley tender on those very lands were the pine beetle epicenter was because the native band he was lobbiying for had a claim on that land?

Hence, he put his lobby dollars ahead of the BC forest industry and in doing so greatly increased the damage to our forests, even if it would have eventually happened anyways.

Posted by: karrman on October 18 2006 11:00 PM

In 1981 and 1983 I was in Tweedsmuir Park on top of Mt Wells and saw the brown trees, which covered a relatively small area. The guide with me told me the trees were killed by the pine beetle. I talked with an entimologist in Victoria named Les McMullen, who worked for the federal gov't. He pushed very hard to spray and kill the beetles at that time, but was blocked by the Prov. Parks people. That was a Bill Bennett Socred gov't.

Posted by: karrman on October 18 2006 11:06 PM

oops --- that's entomologist

Posted by: Chester on October 19 2006 12:41 AM

Instead of continuing to blame everyone and anyone who may have been responsible, is it possible to learn from some of the errors in our ways and focus on improving things in the future?

What a waste of energy dwelling on who is to blame. Let's get on with things and propose some solutions. Chester

Posted by: diplomat on October 19 2006 8:40 AM

Owl:" Why did you not include that?????????????????

Well, I could have and perhaps should have, or whatever, but I didn't want to copy the entire website text to this space here.

It is easy enough to visit the website and read what the Ministry says: "...and managed WITHIN the provisions of legislation."

Had the provisions been different then the actions of the Ministry could have been different as well. The Ministry had to act within the law.

It is apparent that people of the government of the day will never admit that it made a wrong move - no amount of argument amongst the contributors to this discussion here is going to change that.

Ammonra, you are very funny! :)-