MBP Control Program 2016-2017 Concluding

The Mountain Pine Beetle control program for 2016-17 has begun wrapping up for the season.

In total, nearly 22,000 infested trees were controlled in the Hinton region since October. These trees were either successfully removed through harvesting efforts or single tree removal. This was a monumental effort that required the cooperation and coordination of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, West Fraser and the Town of Hinton.

In the Town of Hinton specifically, we had originally surveyed the Town limits in October of 2016, and at that time had determined approximately 300 trees had to be controlled. The Government of Alberta has a Municipal Pine Beetle Control Grant Program that we were able to access for $66,200. As the winter progressed, and more and more infested trees became evident because of their transition from green to red (known as ‘faders’), we chose to submit an amendment to our original grant application so as to hopefully control the significant increase in visibly infested trees. As of May, we had increased our original scope of our program to up to 1000 trees (within just the Town of Hinton), and this would cost an additional $114,000.

Thankfully, with the support of the Department of Agriculture & Forestry, we successfully received these additional funds to continue to challenge the mountain pine beetle issue in our community.

“The Government of Alberta is committed to playing a key role in addressing the mountain pine beetle infestation in West Yellowhead. Industry, recreation and our communities all are being impacted and this will need to be an ongoing area of focus for years to come,” - West Yellowhead MLA Eric Rosendahl.

“The Town of Hinton is very thankful for the support and collaboration we have received by the provincial government in dealing with the mountain pine beetle. I remain committed to ensuring this issue gets the attention it requires in the region, in Edmonton and in Ottawa. The Mountain Pine beetle is now in our backyards and with the coordinated efforts by everyone involved we can manage this issue,” - Mayor Rob Mackin.

The Town of Hinton encourages any residents who see infested trees to download the Mountain Pine Beetle app and take a picture, and in doing so log the location using their smart phones. We know that there will continue to be new trees found, and that some trees may not have been fully controlled this season, however we still encourage citizens to use the app as it is a great way to ensure all the parties have current, accurate information.

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For Further Information

Contact Hinton Listens, available by emailing info@hinton.ca