I have heard that the current beetle epidemic all started in Tweedsmuir Park. Is this true?
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. Beetles also generally move in a west to east and northwest to southeast direction on prevailing winds and therefore the expansion has been progressing east and south. This has lead some to conclude that the most westerly beetle population centre is the “source”. In truth, multiple centres of population expansion and movement to the east and south have occurred.
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- I have heard that the current beetle epidemic all started in Tweedsmuir Park. Is this true?
