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

go l d e n tSa
Bark Beetles
Mountain pine beetle infestations were down from
6,983 hectares in 2011, to just 2,844 hectares in 2012.
Infestation intensity also declined, with nearly three
quarters of the affected area classified as trace. The
main infestations in Yoho National Park have nearly
subsided, and beyond the park, most attack was scattered
in small patches.
Douglas-fir beetle activity also declined, for the third
year in a row. Red attack was mapped on just 145 hectares,
and only 4 spot infestations were recorded. Most
of the attack was in the Beaverfoot River area.
A few small spruce beetle infestations covering 62 hectares
were observed in the Quartz Creek and Gold River
areas. This is the first spruce beetle activity mapped in
the TSA in several years.
Although nearly 2,000 hectares were affected by western balsam bark beetle, tree mortality levels remained
low and patches of activity tended to be small and scattered.
Defoliators
Aspen serpentine leaf miner, Golden TSA.
Western hemlock looper defoliation was mapped on 616
hectares just west of Rogers Pass, in the Beaver River and
Mountain Creek valleys. No population assessments were
made and no treatments are planned for 2013. Aspen serpentine
leaf miner populations increased, with defoliated
area up over 7-fold to 4,056 hectares. Most of the affected
stands were near Golden, the Beaverfoot River, and along the
east side of Kinbasket Lake. The majority of the damage was
rated as light. Other defoliator activity was light, with just 149
hectares of birch leaf miner detected in the Gold River – Kinbasket
Lake area. Several small patches of severe satin moth
defoliation were noted during three-tree beating surveys west
of Golden, and between Spillimacheen and Parsons, however
they were not visible during aerial surveys.
Other damaging agents included 174 hectares of larch needle blight near Donald, 440 hectares of flooding damage
along the Columbia River near Donald and Golden, 427 hectares of wildfire, 153 hectares of windthrow,
72 hectares of bear damage, and 47 new or widened avalanche paths which affected 96 hectares. A few additional
damaging agents were noted during defoliator three-tree beating surveys, including: a bud fungus, possibly
Dichorera gemmicola, killing Douglas-fir buds near Donald; and a foliar disease, likely Pucciniastrum epilobii,
causing light to moderate defoliation of semi-mature sub-alpine fir through Rogers Pass.
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Kamloops, B.C.
33
Declining mountain pine beetle infestation
in Yoho National Park.