I find that interesting, because I was observing the same thing the other day. I was watching a woodpecker the size of a large crow with a red head and a 3-inch nose sqwaking like a chicken protecting his dead pine stand and it got a guy to thinking. I've never seen one of them before and I think it opens up a lot of opportunity for a lot of species, and in reality as the pine fades to the back ground the spruce is quickly filing in the forest absorbing the extra space for its own growth.

I think the report has some merrit from my own observations.

mmmm, Woodpeckers taste good, alot like spotted owls, And you can use their beaks fer pickin yer teeth after. :)

The red trees are actually pretty from the air.
I flew to vancouver last week and they look great at 20,000 feet !

Californians are proud of their redwood forests. I guess we can be proud of the fact that we have a "bigger" red wood forest.

"I was watching a woodpecker the size of a large crow with a red head and a 3-inch nose"

There is a huge market for them in Asia. They pay top dollar for live ones. So we need to build some convertible containers that are like aviaries on the way there and enclosed to take playstations on the way back.

Then again, they may just prefer them flown over as soon as the runway is finished.

;-)

----------------------
I have been saying (based on the type of info which is being shown to the general public once again) that all along. We should be planning our cutting with a view of retaining areas or patches so that the trees will provide soil nutrients, and wesather protection so that new trees have a better start than those planted in unprotected areas with soils that have had nutrients removed due to the lack of decaying wood on the forest floor.

It is either that, or go in after with improved silviculture treatments. Talking to the young trees as they enter into the world has been found to help a lot.

;-)

The name of the big bird is a "Pilated Woodpecker". I know my birds I tell ya!

Woodpekers were one of the bird species that improved when the pine beetles were active. I don't know what will happen after the infestation is complete. Probably the only reason you see them now is because they are still coming back looking for beetles that arent there.

It makes a lot of sence to leave the pine where permited not to go in and destroy all the unserstory in the logging processe . Any of the pine removed from City property the understory was completely destroyed by the logging method used.

Cheers

Kimbo, it allowed me to walk within 10 feet of it at eye level on the side of a tree. Very exotic looking bird. I saw it out past the Nechako cut banks a couple of weeks ago. Surprisingly vocal as well. I'd love to have one of them nesting in my back yard.

Yah, Chad, I bet you would-but not for long.
They are wood---- peckers, and they are very destructive as they hit homes with wood siding, or wooden (supposedly distinguishing)slats, and they peck many holes, or pieces of wood litter the ground. They can peck a lot of pieces away in a short time. They actually peck holes in trees. I know of people with homes out west that have a number of holes near their roof lines, all the courtesy of wood peckers. A number of them out the North Nechako also. They do not scare easily either, and when they discover a piece of property they like-there is no getting rid of them.
There are lots of them-and many little red headed wood peckers also. Maybe just the babies, but they peck early then.
Jeez, owl, your attempt at humor is "sick."
Sorry-you do much better sticking to knowledgeable postings.

Sorry I got off the beaten track.
I get a little tired of the mind changes here. Cannot leave them stand-they will burn the province out. Now, don't cut them-leave them stand.It is the best solution. No, they will fall over and do damage in a windstorm. What about the soil nutrients they provide? Oh my, they are so pretty from the air.
And sick dawg wants to eat woodpeckers and spotted owls.
No wonder the world is so damn unsettled. Nobody can make up their minds on anything.
And half the time if they do, it makes no sense.
Talk about stupid-anybody care to donate badges for the winners?

I agree on the woodpeckers being a nuisance in residential areas. My house is 100% cedar exterior siding and wood window frames. Luckily, if I am home, I can hear the knocking right away and shoo them off.

On of the children's camps on a local lake has had their cabins attacked and the window frames are well on their way to being demolished.

As far as leaving trees stand or not, that really depends on the location. There is no danger, other than increased fire hazard to let trees stand in the forests. It is the cities where they become dangerous eventually.

Forests fires would actually help as well. It is the natural progression of things. Charred wood adds nutrients to the soils as well.

As with most things, one does not apply the same remedy in each situation. So, it is not a matter of making up one's mind. Besides, this is not a fixed science. Tree rotation is about 80 years in this region, so, in some areas we are working on removing the second growth around here. Very few people get to see their silvicultural prescriptions progress through to the end of the cycle.

It is not the same as the annual rotation of a farming crop where one can fairly quickly see the outcome of their farming methods as they tweak them every year or so.

"It is not the same as the annual rotation of a farming crop".

Those trees in the farming operation they probably are talked to more as they are being tweaked then those in a pine beetle kill area. And what about the sound of the wood peckers as they hammer away on those dead trees. Would that qualify as being talked too? Where can I pick up my award for this insight on tree culture?

All kidding aside didnt we at one time have a Premier that wore wooden shoes to keep the wood peckers away from his head. I would say that those that have no sence of humour on this web site should probably do the same.

Ahh but I degress. I had better go now.

Cheers

No, Vanderzalm did not wear wooden shoes to keep the woodpeckers away from his head.
And what do wooden shoes have to do with a sense of humor??
But congratulations-you are deserving of the first badge-if anybody ever donates some.

Price of lumber tumbles from over $450.00 per 1000 FBM to $225.00 1000 FBM. Major forest companies can no longer make huge profits by logging every tree in sight. (Beetle killed or otherwise).

Government on record to do something about the Pine Beetle killed timber now has a problem. Low price of lumber means less logging, less logging means less beetle killed timber removed.

Solution:: Designate large areas of beetle killed forest as **valuable wildlife habitat** Now you dont have to log it, and you are seen as doing something positive, when in fact you have totally mishandled the whole situation.

Large tracts of beetle killed timber will rot or burn over the years and this will be seen as a **good thing** .

"when in fact you have totally mishandled the whole situation."

If I am not mistaken, about 40% of the interior stand of timber is pine. It is estimated when this is over, which is pretty soon now, 80% or more of the mature pine stand will be gone. Thus around 30% of the base for determining the AAC in the interior of the province, which is the largest single contributor of timber in BC, is gone.

There is no way in the world anyone would ever be able to market that amount of wood over say a 10 year window, when it would normally be marketed over a period almost 3 times as long, to an existing marketplace without expanding that marketplace. The market is not there, and the capacity is not there to get it to market unless you want to build mills and other infrastructure which will operate for no more than 10 years. After that, you can shut those milles and 20% of the mills which were there before the MPB for a 50 year period.

So you can think it is an excuse all you want, you are simply showing you do not understand forest planning and the magnitude of the "problem". Most of all, you do not understand mother nature.

Now, if there were a wood cartell in the world, the same as an oil cartell of sorts, then people in other parts of the world who were pooling their feedstocks and sending them to the market to benefit the group rather than individuals in the group could have cut back on their supplies a small percentage to allow Canada to harness a product which had limited shelf life.

But we can't even do it nationally, so why should we be able to do it internationally? In fact, Emerson, Harper et al were obviously not even considering that when they agreed to the terms of the new agreement with the USA.

We have three regions of the country which are being handled as if they are separate countries, when it is one. My suggestion is not even an option under the deal struck.

We have a prime minister, we have a trade minister, and we have the general population living right in the middle of the forests affected who have no clue as to the problem and how to make the best of it.

H, ha, now that's what I call spin !

They know how the fires are going to go wild, so they are already setting up their excuses why they didn't do something more about it. Kind of like a young Cst. who just shot an unarmed man, standing there thinking to himself "How am I going to explain this ?"

Yep-reasonableman, they know the task to remove those dead pine from the forested areas is an impossible task, So "spin" the public to soften the hostility and blame when disaster strikes, and forests burn-taking inhabited communities and towns with them.
It is likely impossible to fathom the magnitude of the gigantic burns which could be forthcoming, as mother nature continues on with her wrath.
Remember, when the forest burns, the fire is not selective and will not burn just the dead pine. Anything living in it's path will be destroyed. I pity the poor animals.
Could the beetle have been stopped years ago??? We will never know now, as no attempt was made. The knowledge we will gain is just how destructive these dead trees will bring to pass.
Impossible to get it cut, impossible to store it, impossible to sell it, impossible to utilize it. Looks like there is no quick "fix."
Let's face it-there is no "fix" whatsoever.
We have much more to fear than those damn hazardous "potholes."
The burns can become so huge they will be uncontrollable. What then?

Trusted your wrong again. I said a "Premier".
But since you mention Vanderzalm I actually saw Smiling Bill and Headband Lil wearing wooden shoes. And what does that have to do with a sence of humour is that you dont have one.

Cheers

Meow !