It ends up, when we got to our destination, we asked and found out what was going on. A couple varieties of tree beetles are devastating the timber of British Columbia. These are the same beetles that leave "blue stain" in the wood. While the look of the blue stain is popular in some circles with craftsmen, the destruction to the forests is overwhelming. That realization of the degree of damage the insects are causing may be more startling than the initial thought that we were driving into a forest fire. The brown trees below (note how many there are compared to healthy trees) are all victims of wood boring beetles.
There is no easy way to control this insect so the forestry officials are cutting down and burning the diseased trees. Whenever they burn a tree, it eliminates many "potential" invaders that would move into the bark of nearby timber. This has to be done before the spring, when the insect will be reproducing and moving on.
It is a shame that this pest is raising such havoc with the beautiful forests of B.C. The economic impact is, needless to say, huge.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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