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    Pine Beetle Control in Northern Alberta.

    Canada

    There are [10] photos and [2] stories about Canada

    A Bell 212 flies past an old burn pile with an infested tree, en-route to the next pile. Helicopters are frequently used for these control operations due to the remote locations of the infestations. The pine beetle's effect on the environment has been suggested to potentially lead to increased soil erosion, higher water tables, increased wildfire risk due to dry, dead trees, as well as a significant reduction in the forests ability to store carbon. by: benjamin_louwerse Views[531] A pine beetle control crew is evacuated by helicopter ahead of northern-winter storm front. Once a storm hits, the density of the snow falling from the sky would make flying an impossibility for the pilot and any crews not picked up in time would be left in the wilderness until the weather improved. For workers in this environment, the potential for having to overnight in the wilderness during a storm is something that is always at the back of the mind every morning when they get flown into the area they will be working. On this occasion, the helicopter was unable to pick up two workers due to the rapid approach of the storm. They survived the night by building a shelter and a fire. by: benjamin_louwerse Views[697] A pine beetle control worker stands as close to the fire as he can in order to stay warm. The pine beetle life-cycle lasts one year; it will lay its eggs in the early summer before dying, the eggs will hatch and the larvae will then burrow further in the bark before going dormant for the winter months. This life-cycle means that all control efforts must take place during the coldest months of winter in order to get the trees while the larvae is still inside. Winters in Northern Alberta can quite frequently drop below -40. by: benjamin_louwerse Views[576] In order to kill the beetle, which burrows in between the bark and the cambiam of pine tree, all of the bark must be burnt off the trees. Around 25,000 British Columbian families have either lost their primary income, are at risk of doing so, or have been otherwise effected due to the effects of the pine beetle on the forest industry. by: benjamin_louwerse Views[592] A worker retrieves a choker cable from a pile of trees infested with Mountain Pine Beetle that has been piled, waiting to be burnt, in an effort to control the epidemic sweeping across western Canada. Mountain Pine Beetle has already killed approximately 18.1 million hectares of pine forest in British Columbia. by: benjamin_louwerse Views[695]
     
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    Tags: alberta, canada, control, heli-logging, helicopter, infestation, northern alberta, pine beetle, travel photography scholarship 2013, wilderness

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    Tags: travel photography scholarship 2012

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