Mountain Pine Beetle

The FNFC has recently extended its initial funding agreement for Mountain Pine Beetle Activities for a fifth year.  The Agreement was initially intended as a three year commitment and the FNFC had expected new funds to revitalize the program.  We have continued to lobby government for a revival of this funding as per the MPB Action plan but have had very little success in achieving the level of expenditure expected from the 2005 Federal commitment of one billion dollars to the west for this epidemic.

Over the past four years many areas of activity of the FNFC have been carried out using this initial contribution agreement and this current fifth year of operation for the FNFC and the MPB agreement is utilizing the remainder of the funds available for the ongoing operations of our office.

THE FNFC has committed to continue its advocacy work on impacts of the MPB epidemic and  is working to highlight the severe risks that our communities have been put in due to reduced resource availability for forest fuel management.  There has been tremendous work done to date in this area, however, it is not enough considering the ongoing risks associated with dead and dying trees and unnatural fuel loading near our communities.

Funding proposals form the FNFC over the past 2 years have focused on MPB fuel management projects for our communities as the main priority as well as requesting forest sector support dollars to work on the identified priorities related to economic diversification and ecological sustainability and restoration.