Saskatchewan Keeps Wary Eye On Pine Beetle

Saskatchewan Keeps Wary Eye On Pine Beetle

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 13:49

A tree expert with the provincial government fears Saskatchewan timber may be at risk of attack from a West Coast insect.

Dr. Rory McIntosh says the mountain pine beetle has already chewed through 7.1 million hectares of B.C. forest.

To make matters worse, the insect has now begun to blow eastward and is now showing up regularly around Banff.

McIntosh says the mountain pine beetle is not native to the boreal forest and that makes it tough to know how it will act.

He points out there is nothing people can do to kill it.

McIntosh also says a few of the beetles have been found in southern Saskatchewan over the past few years, but none in the North.