[NatureNS] Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging old mistakes for new?

From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:56:40 -0300
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Hi Fritz,

It's unlikely that this will save any face for the CFIA; rather the =20
opposite. As a knowledgeable colleague of mine, who occupies a high =20
position in the forest industry wrote me:

> If the whole program is being cut after so much time and money has =20
> been spent, it=92s hard to see how the CFIA can regain any credibility =
=20
> with the forestry community ....


As far as I know, the CFIA have said nothing publicly about this issue =20=

yet. They will surely not be pleased to have to make such a cut, but =20
politically it will be difficult for them to blame the government. All =20=

such agencies keep having to maintain the illusion that nothing =20
essential is being lost through cuts (since saying otherwise is =20
politically dangerous), but then that gives the appearance that all =20
the BSLB work was non-essential (i.e., superfluous). ;~> Their options =20=

are:

a) Declare victory and say nothing further remains to be done; or

b) Declare defeat and say that nothing further can be done.

It's not going to be easy for them either way.

Cheers!

Chris

On 25-Apr-12, at 8:40 PM, Fritz McEvoy wrote:

> Hi Chris and All,
>    I wonder if this not only a cost cutting measure but also a face =20=

> saving way for the CFIA to get rid of a program (the Blown Spruce =20
> Longhorn Beetle Risk Mitigation Program - BSLBRMP) that had become =20
> an embarrassment to the agency because of all the bad press they had =20=

> received. By eliminating the program as part of a cost cutting =20
> exercise they can just say their work was done and avoid all those =20
> pesky questions as to why it was ever begun in the first place. All =20=

> the best.
>                               Fritz McEvoy
>                                Sunrise Valley, CB
> From: c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: [NatureNS] Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging =20=

> old mistakes for new?
> Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:36:23 -0300
>
> Hi folks,
>
> Many sectors of Canadian society are still in shock, reeling from =20
> the recent budget cutbacks announced by the federal government. One =20=

> agency hard hit is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Thus =20=

> far concern has focused around food safety but the CBC has learned =20
> of another cut to the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle program.
>
> In this case the CFIA never undertook the research, to establish =20
> that this species was actually a pest. Consequently, there=92s no =20
> evidence that biocontrol, containment, eradication, or quarantine =20
> measures were ever warranted. However, climate change, may be a much =20=

> greater threat to spruce forests and the federal government policy =20
> is undermining our capacity to investigate this, let alone act upon =20=

> it.
>
> In the event that this subject is of interest, please feel free to =20
> check my recent article:
>
> Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging old mistakes for new?
> =
http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/2012/04/25/bettles-forests-and-climate-chan=
ge-exchanging-old-mistakes-for-new/
>
> Published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
>
> All the best,
>
> Christopher Majka


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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi =
Fritz,<div><br></div><div>It's unlikely that this will save any face for =
the CFIA; rather the opposite. As a knowledgeable colleague of mine, who =
occupies a high position in the forest industry wrote =
me:</div><div><br></div><div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div dir=3D"ltr" =
style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div dir=3D"ltr"><div =
style=3D"font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div>If the whole =
program is being cut after so much time and money has been spent, it=92s =
hard to see how the CFIA can regain any credibility with the forestry =
community ....</div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div><div =
dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div =
style=3D"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri; =
"><br></div><div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Calibri">As=
 far as I know, the CFIA have said nothing publicly about this issue =
yet. They will surely not be pleased to have to make such a cut, but =
politically it will be difficult for them to blame the government. All =
such agencies keep having to maintain the illusion that nothing =
essential is being lost through cuts (since saying otherwise is =
politically dangerous), but then that gives the appearance that all the =
BSLB work was non-essential (i.e., superfluous). ;~&gt; Their options =
are:</font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri"><br></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri">a) Declare victory and say nothing further remains to =
be done; or&nbsp;</font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri"><br></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri">b) Declare defeat and say that nothing further can be =
done.</font></div></div></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri"><br></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri">It's not going to be easy for them either =
way.</font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri"><br></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri">Cheers!</font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span"=
 face=3D"Calibri"><br></font></div><div><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
face=3D"Calibri">Chris</font></div></div></div></div><div><br><div><div>On=
 25-Apr-12, at 8:40 PM, Fritz McEvoy wrote:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cit