One winter rye plant can grow over 600 kilometers (372 miles) of roots in one growing season.
Beetle infestation threatens 'catastrophe' for B.C.
forests
Beetle infestation threatens 'catastrophe' for B.C.
forests An infestation of the mountain pine beetle in B.C.
could become a provincial disaster, according to logging companies
and First Peoples groups. The infestation began in a small area
west of Prince George four years ago and has now spread to an
estimated 300,000 hectares. The beetle bores into lodgepole pine
trees and leaves a fungus which eventually kills the tree. A dead
tree is characterized by red foliage. Warm weather is being blamed
for the spread of the beetle, and cold winters with -30 Cø
temperatures are needed to stop the infestation. Logging is also
considered a way to control epidemics, but environment minister
Joan Sawicki has said that a logging strategy will not be used in
parks and other protected areas. The mountain pine beetle is a
natural part of the lodgepole pine ecosystem, and periodic
outbreaks occur. 14 SEPTEMBER 1999
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