September 2006

Ready-to-Use News Articles

Addressing the impact of pests on Canada's natural capital

Typically, insect and disease outbreaks are natural events that can help bring about healthy forest renewal. Yet they can also pose a serious threat to forest health, the forest industry and the communities that are economically dependent on both. Serious pest outbreaks can result in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. They can also have an impact on the physical safety of forest communities since affected tree stands are more susceptible to damage from fire and wind.

Canadians are becoming all too familiar with the mountain pine beetle that is wreaking havoc and destroying acre upon acre of forest land in British Columbia, and more recently in Alberta. The current infestation has been described as the worst-ever in North America’s forests. Repeated outbreaks in eastern and central Canada of the spruce budworm, another species native to Canada, have also caused wide-scale damage.

Increased international trade has elevated the risk of exotic insect species being introduced into Canada, like the emerald ash borer, for example. These “alien invasive species,” as they are commonly referred to, can be problematic if there are no predators or other natural controls to keep their populations in check.

Native or exotic, pest issues (insects and diseases) are complex and wide-ranging, and need to be managed in a coordinated and synergistic way. Canada’s approach to dealing with them has been largely reactive and fragmented, and affected by debates among governments over jurisdictions and responsibilities.

The need for a more integrated process to deal with these unique challenges is clear. Today, governments responsible for forestry, agriculture, wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture are working together to develop a national pest management strategy, and to devise policies and regulations to deal with pest issues.

Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service is leading the forest-pest component of the strategy, which will build on successful regional approaches to addressing forest pests and will identify gaps in knowledge and capacity. The commitment on the part of all levels of government — municipal, provincial, territorial and federal — to work together to address pest issues in a comprehensive way marks a fundamental shift in Canada’s approach to pest management.