[NatureNS] Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging old

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has been nearly 5 years since Greg Cunningham effectively admi
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Hi Chris=2C Dave and All=3B
  The really sad thing about this story is that all the money wasted on BSL=
B mitigation could have been better spent trying to eradicate the real scou=
rge of softwood forests in N.S.=2C the (Red) Spruce Bark Beetle - Dendrocto=
nus rufipennis Kirby=2C which is/has destroying hundreds=2C if not thousand=
s=2C of acres of prime softwood forests in Nova Scotia over the last decade=
. The battle to get this pest under control seems nearly non-existent=3B at=
 least to me up here in the highlands. All the best.
                                           Fritz McEvoy
                                           Sunrise Valley=2C CB
=20



From: c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Beetles=2C forests=2C and climate change: Exchangin=
g old mistakes for new?
Date: Sat=2C 28 Apr 2012 11:19:38 -0300

Hi Dave et al.=2C



On 28-Apr-12=2C at 10:42 AM=2C David & Alison Webster wrote:


Hi Chris & All=2C                        Apr 28=2C 2012
    I agree Fritz=2C having a good excuse to terminate this program must be=
 a relief to informed CFIA management.=20


It would be=2C except for the fact that the phrase "informed CFIA managemen=
t" appears to be an oxymoron. =3B->



It has been nearly 5 years since Greg Cunningham effectively admitted that =
BSLB was essentiall harmless=3B see following paste.
=20
    Personally=2C I am relieved to see this arrant waste of public funds te=
rminated.


Ditto.



START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\
Dear All=2C            May 17=2C 2007
     A recent article (Chron.Hrld.=3B May 16) on the Brown Spruce Longhorn=
=20
Beetle includes an explanation=2C attributed to Greg Cunningham=2C that =20
"The storm (Juan) created so much ground material that it gave the=20
beetle an ideal opportunity to multiply."

    So the admission has finally emerged indirectly that the BSLB can=20
not attack healthy trees. If it could do so then the Juan swath of=20
damaged trees would not have provided this "...ideal opportunity...".

    It takes a while sometimes.

Yt=2C Dave Webster=2C Kentville
END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
=20
    If they cared to be devious=2C they could claim that due to prompt and =
effective action by CFIA=2C the dangerous strain of BLSB was extirpated and=
 the remaining beetles are now harmless.


We'll see what face-saving excuses they come up with.



    But anyone=2C including members of the forestry community=2C who ever s=
upposed that BSLB was a genuine threat should take the time to learn someth=
ing about trees. This applies especially to Forest Entomologists who=2C app=
arently=2C are not required to have at least a basic comprehension of Tree =
Physiology and Soils.

An excellent point.


In my view two important factors drove this whole absurd charade:


1. There was a certain constituency amongst those who crafted the response =
to the BSLB who were preoccupied with "invasive species." And just as it is=
 the case that if your only tool is a hammer=2C the whole world starts to l=
ook like nails=2C they applied this concept immediately=2C with no second t=
hought=2C and without conducting requisite scientific research.


2. If you want to understand anything=2C follow the money. Canada carries o=
n a huge and contentious softwood lumber trade with the United States (see =
the URL below for a capsule summary of this). The BSLB was "discovered" at =
a highly contentious time in that dispute ("Lumber IV" - the fourth major i=
teration of this dispute). There was a fear amongst the softwood lumber ind=
ustry in Atlantic Canada that softwood lumber interests in the US would use=
 the BSLB as a pretext for applying export sanctions under NAFTA on softwoo=
d lumber exports from this region claiming that the BSLB could spread from =
Nova Scotia to the USA and threaten their forest industry=2C etc.=20


They might or might not be able to get away with this (you may recall=2C th=
e same thing happened to exports of potatoes from PEI when potato wart was =
discovered there) but in any event it then becomes a sticky (and potentiall=
y expensive) negotiating point under NAFTA export protocols. So=2C the deci=
sion was to act immediately and forcefully against BSLB to try and forestal=
l such a response. To not allow such a pretext by conveying the message to =
the Americans that we were taking the issue "seriously."


Thus the response had noting at all to do with science but everything to do=
 with politics. And so=2C it sadly went. And this is where we are 12 years =
later having spent tens of millions of dollars on a phantom menace. This is=
 what happens when you decouple politics from science.
All the best!


Chris


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada=96United_States_softwood_lumber_dispute





Christopher Majka
Halifax=2C Nova Scotia=2C Canada B3H 2G5
c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca


It's true we're on the wrong track=2C but we're compensating for this short=
-coming by accelerating. - Stanislav Lec


 		 	   		  =

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Hi Chris=2C Dave and All=3B<BR>&nbsp=3B The really sad thing about this sto=
ry is that all the money wasted on BSLB&nbsp=3Bmitigation could have been b=
etter spent trying to&nbsp=3Beradicate the real scourge of softwood forests=
 in N.S.=2C the (Red) Spruce Bark Beetle -&nbsp=3BDendroctonus rufipennis K=
irby=2C which is/has destroying hundreds=2C if not thousands=2C of acres of=
 prime softwood forests&nbsp=3Bin&nbsp=3BNova Scotia&nbsp=3Bover the last d=
ecade. The battle to get this pest under control seems nearly non-existent=
=3B at least to me up here in the highlands.&nbsp=3BAll the best.<BR>
&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nb=
sp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=
=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B=
&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nb=
sp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B Fritz McEvoy<BR>
&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nb=
sp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=
=3B&nbsp=3B&nbsp=3B&