Merci, Mr. Chairman, and bonjour to members of the committee.
My name is Don Bassermann, and I am chair of the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition. We're here as a joint group today. With me is Rhona Martin, chair of the Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition. We are speaking as well on behalf of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition.
In three years, the cumulative area of B.C. affected by the beetle is estimated to be 16.3 million hectares. That is almost 23 times the size of metro Toronto. We are in crisis.
In the materials we've made available, there is a photo that demonstrates the example of a landscape that can be seen across the interior of the province of British Columbia. In short, British Columbia is experiencing the most severe and widespread mountain pine beetle epidemic in recorded history. There are maps in the materials we have provided you that indicate the collective percentage of pine beetle kill.
The B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range estimates that the mountain pine beetle has now killed a total of 675 million cubic metres of timber--630 million cubic metres of red- and grey-attack damage, plus 45-million cubic metres of green-attack--since the current infestation began.
On a provincial level, the infestation peaked in 2005 in terms of volume killed annually, and has slowed considerably since then. However, the impacts will last for many years to come.
We have provided maps at the back of the handout. We have also displayed in the room a number of maps that will provide a more visual impact.
As mills close and communities lose their industrial tax base, it becomes increasingly difficult for local governments to provide and maintain core infrastructure and services. This has severe impacts at the community level. It can affect the amenities available--local culture and related activities, businesses, schools, and health services--with the changes around them due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic and the changing fabric of the landscape and the commerce that it supports.