Natural Resources committee  In the case of national parks, we would defer the question to Parks Canada.

Natural Resources committee  It always depends on the objective and the outcomes that are expected. Is there a role for the private sector in that? It really depends on the objective. If it's mitigating fire risks, maybe not.

Natural Resources committee  This has been the main driver for management of the pine beetle in national parks—the safety issues. Harvesting trees may not be—

Natural Resources committee  Right, but removing trees from the forest may have a different impact than leaving them on site and burning them, for example.

Natural Resources committee  I'm sorry?

Natural Resources committee  My colleague can correct me, but I don't think operational recommendations are usually provided by our department to Parks Canada. It's more a strategic perspective.

Natural Resources committee  As an example, we are conducting aerial surveys for forest health risks in the mountain national parks. We're working closely with Parks Canada on that, and we're providing advice on management options for the mountain pine beetle. Of course, these are conservation areas, so the

Natural Resources committee  In the U.S., the mountain pine beetle has been a very severe problem over the last decade or even more, and they are facing the same problems we are, with the addition that many of the areas that are affected are recreational areas—national parks, for example—so they also have to

Natural Resources committee  In some parts of Alberta, the mountain pine beetle is becoming endemic to these forests. It's been there for a couple of years and it's expected that it's there to stay. In areas where populations are pretty high and doing damage, traditional control approaches are applied to man

Natural Resources committee  The case of the mountain pine beetle is a little different from that of the forest spruce budworm. The mountain pine beetle is a bark beetle, so it goes under the bark of trees. You cannot necessarily treat mountain pine beetle by spraying insecticide in the air, as you would for

Natural Resources committee  There is a very stringent process to allow for the intentional introduction of a species from other countries. This process has been followed for these wasps. The United States is also using the same parasitic wasps in forests. There has been a very stringent assessment made to m

Natural Resources committee  There is close collaboration with the U.S.

Natural Resources committee  Actually, the U.S. provided the first batches of wasps that were released in Canada. They have a very effective production facility for these pests. We're now producing our own wasps here in Canada through our Great Lakes Forestry Centre. We have facilities there that are used fo

Natural Resources committee  We're still assessing the impact they have on the emerald ash borer and also how well they are doing in our natural environment. It's going to take a few more years to be able to say whether they are effective and how well they are doing in our forests.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you. My colleague Derek MacFarlane will present opening remarks on behalf of our assistant deputy minister, Beth MacNeil.