Evidence of meeting #111 for Natural Resources in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was forests.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
12:50 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
They use a combination of methods. Once they have identified trees that have been attacked, they'll cut them, they'll burn them, or they'll strip the bark and burn that. They also use a combination of insecticides in order to control the beetle. Those insecticides are applied to the trees.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Are these insecticides organic or are they synthetic insecticides? How effective are they? How cost-effective are they?
12:50 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
They're manufactured insecticides, and they are effective at killing the beetle.
12:50 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
I don't have the information for that at this time. I do know that we've been cutting the trees and then burning the wood as the control measure.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Based on your modelling, is that red line the outer parameter of where you think the beetle would end up?
12:50 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
That red line is, as of 2012, the leading edge for the beetle. As I mentioned, it has shifted a bit further east, but it looks similar to what you see on the map.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
As it travels further east, is it increasing or does it seem to be petering out?
12:50 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
At the moment, it does seem to be slowing down. We definitely have slowed it, certainly since 2001. We've definitely seen a fairly steep decrease in the spread rates heading east as those beetles move through this section along the leading edge. There are also lower pine volumes, which helps. There are just fewer trees available, so right now that seems to be helping to contain it a bit. Once they get further east into Saskatchewan, the pine volumes increase.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chubaty, for your testimony today.
Please excuse my ignorance as this is my first time really delving deep into natural resources.
Canada is quite diverse in its ecosystems. Would you say that a species that is homed in the east coast would be considered an invasive species in, say, the Prairies, for example?
12:55 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
This is an issue of terminology. The terminology we've been using to describe the mountain pine beetle is “native invasive”. Although it's native to B.C., the forests that it's in now—in Alberta—don't have that history with the beetle, so it is behaving a bit like an invasive species on that front. Certainly we can use that terminology, “native invasive”, to describe some of these things that may be native but are spreading into new areas.
Otherwise, in the typical language about invasive species, we think of those as coming in, typically, from overseas. That's the sort of terminology we tend to use.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
There are fumigation practices that occur when goods are brought into the country, or even when Canada ships goods to other parts of the world. Do we see similar practices to prevent species from one part of Canada impacting another part of Canada, or is this a new phenomenon?
12:55 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
Generally speaking—certainly in the forestry sector—shipping and moving wood with the bark on is regulated. If you've crossed a provincial boundary in western Canada, I'm sure you've seen the signs that say not to bring firewood back into Alberta, or into B.C. There certainly are restrictions there, but obviously there's not a lot of enforcement for some of those particular things.
For imported goods, I'm not a hundred percent clear on exactly what is done to treat the wood that is coming in from, say, the United States. Obviously there do need to be guidelines in place for ensuring the wood is either heat-treated, or debarked or both.
October 4th, 2018 / 12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
When it comes to sharing your research with the government bodies that would enforce and then provide regulations with respect to addressing the issue at hand, how do you share that information? Is it something that you just move up the chain, or is there some kind of process where your consultation is taken and a strategy is developed based on the research you provide?
12:55 p.m.
Spatial Modelling Coordinator, fRI Research, Healthy Landscapes Program, As an Individual
The direct output of the scientific research will be in the form of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. That's the primary output. Of course, there are also a number of reports and other documents that are provided to different agencies, be they governments or our industry partners. We disseminate results and information that way.
Where possible, we do try to work with the managers and decision-makers on enacting policies that address the scientific aspects, but that are also fine-tuned to the day-to-day realities of operational implementation.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Thank you kindly. Those are all the questions I have.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal James Maloney
Thank you very much. That's all the time we have.
Professor, thank you very much for joining us. You've been very helpful and informative.
As for all of you, thank you for coming today. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We'll see you in 12 days.
The meeting is adjourned.