here. - Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

ko o t e n aY la k e tSa
Bark Beetles
Impacts from bark beetle activity have continued to decline in the TSA. Area affected by
mountain pine beetle has dropped to the lowest level in nearly a decade, to 5,225 hectares.
Red attack levels fell in most areas, although a slight increase was seen in the southeast portion
of the TSA, around Yahk and the lower Goat River. This area of the TSA still has abundant
green pine and the potential exists for populations to build in the future. Douglas-fir beetle
infestation levels also declined, especially in the northern portion of the TSA, although several
new spot infestations were detected northeast of Nelson, near Kokanee Creek. In total, light
attack was recorded on 122 hectares and 54 spot infestations killed another 750 trees. Western
balsam bark beetle activity remained very scattered in small patches. A total of 770 hectares
were affected by trace and light mortality. Spruce beetle activity was limited to 37 hectares
of moderate attack near Howser Creek.
Defoliators
Aspen serpentine leaf miner damage increased, from 640 hectares in 2011, to 2,775 hectares
in 2012. Most of the defoliation was in the West Arm, Duncan Lake, and Lardeau River areas.
In several additional areas of the TSA, low intensity defoliation was visible from the ground.
Birch leaf miner defoliation was detected again in the Lardeau and Duncan River areas; affected
area totalled 677 hectares. Damage levels were mostly light to moderate.
After a single European gypsy moth was caught in a pheromone trap at Kokanee Creek Park
in 2009, delimiting grids of 16 traps per square mile were deployed. Two moths were caught
in 2010, but after further delimiting grids were deployed in 2011 and 2012, no further moths
were trapped in this area and the population is considered to have died out. In 2012, a single
moth was caught near Kaslo; a delimiting grid will be deployed in the area in 2013.
Foliar Diseases
Larch needle blight infections increased from 2,420 hectares in 2011, to 8,540 hectares
in 2012. Affected stands were scattered across the southern portion of the TSA, and in the
Duncan Lake and Lardeau River areas. Most of the damage was light, and no tree mortality
was noted.
Several additional but relatively minor damaging agents were detected during the surveys.
These included several small patches of windthrow near Summit Creek totalling 205 hectares,
108 hectares of bear damage in lodgepole pine plantations, 70 new or expanded avalanche
tracks covering 215 hectares, and 4 hectares of wildfire. Douglas-fir along the south side of
Trout Lake continued to exhibit thinning crowns and scattered mortality, although the symptoms
were only visible from the ground. Causal agent was undetermined, but it is likely the
same as another similar site near Sugar Lake, where a combination of Armillaria root disease
and low level Douglas-fir beetle was found, with drought stress acting as a catalyst.
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Kamloops, B.C.
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