. The. Forest. Insect and Disease Survey (FIDS) is the national ~ network within Forestry Canada established to work. with gov- ernment branches. and private industry. in the identification, monitoring and research of forest insects and diseases.

by Sylvia Golke

In the British Columbia and_

Yukon ‘division, a total of 11. _ Tangers spend..every May through October doing field- work throughout their areas. - During the winter months they

return to Victoria to the Pacific - ‘Forestry Centre where they com-

pile their data and print reports. A written report is. available each year for the Prince Rupert region, In-a like manner, reports are available from the other five ' forest regions covered by FIDS for the Pacific and Yukon divi- sion. Their regular reports. are

based‘on aerial and ground ob- . pheromone. traps,

servations, egg counts, plantation examina- tions, workers, stand cruises, sketch maps, photographs and other sources, most Of which are sup- ported by samples submitted for identification of the damaging agent,

-May to do fieldwork in the ‘Kalum, Cassiar, North Coast and Kispiox Timber . ‘Supply | Areas (TSA). He has provideda “brief summary of preliminary & results in local areas, but advises i

contacts. with forestry

Herbarium and Insectary staff : at the Pacific Forestry Centre’ ‘aid in verification of the damag-

ing agents. They provide iden- tification services to clients of. Forestry..Canada. A great deal

of the work of FIDS involves i

communication with other agen- cies such as the B,C. Forest Ser- vice, Yukon Lands and Forests, Parks Canada, private in-

dividuals and members of the forest industry. 7

Alan Stewart, ranger for Terrace, arrives each

that the official report for this

yeat comes: out in late winter. ‘Stewart returns to Victoria in

early October to analyze the ‘data he has collected vall: sum-

mer,

Adieback of planted seedlings and pests of sapling-aged stands are currently the main concerns

Teported. High levels of a.

fungus, the Rhizina root disease, hemlock seedlings planted in

-burned. clearcuts throughout the

Nass Valley and in parts of the Skeena Valley. ‘In some areas,

No crosswalks, but...

Terrace Ministry of Highways district manager John Newhouse says a 1-1/2-meter strip of pave- ment on the west shoulder of Clark Rd. in Thornhill should be completed before the end of Oc- tober. He adds that a com- _ promise has been made between his office and the principals of three schools near the Clark/Pa- quette intersection, and although there won’t be any crosswalks, there will be bold stop lines painted across Pa- quette where it intersects Clark.

Newhouse says the paved

shoulder will run from Hwy. 16 | to Old Lakelse Road and in

addition will include the portion of Paquette in front of the Thornhill Primary parking lot. As far as crosswalks are con- cerned, Newhouse says ministry policy determines their necessity through a formula which deter-

mines the number of opportuni- _

ties to cross a particular width of roadway in a given hour. He explains that as the speed limit is

reduced, as it is in the Thornhill - . gase, the number of opportuni- ties to cross the roadway in-.

crease proportionately and the Clark/Paquette intersection

therefore doesn’t qualify for |

crosswalks.

Further improvements named by. Newhouse include making the portion of Old Lakelse Lake Road at the Clark Rd. intersec-

tion a no-passing zone by paint-

‘ing a double line on Old Lakelse Lake Road. Further to that, a

stop line on Clark Rd. where it.

meets Old Lakelse Lake Rd. ‘may be considered. Next year, he says, the corner at the south end of Clark Rd. will be straightend out to further im- prove safety in the area. Thornhill Primary principal Jim Steele says he’s pleased with the ministry’s: commitment to

increasing. safety in the atea.

‘It’s not perfect,” he says. “But _

we had ‘nothing before.’ The next stage, says Steele, would be to install sidewalks and curbs.

- But that’s a matter to be sorted

out between the taxpayer and the regional district. ,

the FIDS re

Alan Stewart works out of the Terrace area every summer .

for the Canadian Forest Service, assessing threats to forests in the region from insects and disease.

up to $0 percent of the seedlings

are killing pine, spruce and re infected. Additional mortali-

ty due to desiccation and plant- ing shock is compounding the

‘problem of regeneration in these

areas. The spruce weevil, a chronic

pest of sapling-aged spruce re- generation, continues to cause”

the characteristic droop and die- back of the top two years of leader growth. The highest in- cidences of attack, greater than 10 percent, were noted in por- tions of the.Kalum, Skeena and

Kitimat River Valleys closest to - including sus-

watercourses,

ceptible trees in residential areas of Terrace.

High numbers of porcupine continue to cause dieback and death of trees in sapling. and older stands by feeding on the inner bark and cambium, pre- ferring pine followed by hemlock, spruce and fir. Local- ly, patches of damage have been common in the Kalum and Skeena Valleys for three years. Areas of. new activity include side drainages of the Kitimat River Valley, such as the Little Wedeene: River. The impact of

-orest bug survey nearly finished for or this y year

this. damage is greatest in thin . ned stands where fewer crop” -’

trees will remain to be harvested.

An insect pest of mature lodgepole pine, the mountain pine beetle, is declining in most areas as susceptible trees become fewer. Remaining areas of ac-

tivity include the Skeena Valley southwest of Cedarvale and the -

Nass Valley north of Cranberry Junction, where red-colored dy- ing pines are still common.

Both western and forest tent

caterpillar populations increased in 1989, with moderate to severe defoliation of deciduous. trees.

occurring in the Skeena Valley: near Exchamsiks River, and in .

Kitimat. Most of the defoliated trees had recovered with a sec-

ond flush of foliage by mid-

summer. Beyond this short, prelimi- nary overview, more informa- tion on these and other pest con- ditions in the Prince Rupert Forest Region can be obtained later this winter by requesting a copy of the regional report from: Forestry Canada, Forest Insect & Disease Survey 506 W. Burnside Road, Victoria, B.C, V8Z IMS. Additional information such as pest leaflets, reports of forest pest conditions provincially or nationally, and educational posters can also be obtained free

-from Forest Canada at the

above address. And for those of you who will be in Victoria this winter, there

will be an Open House at the | pacific Forestry Centre February.

12 to 16, Open House occurs once every five years and is well worth the visit.

3 with your family.

It’san important question ando one that requires some thought and discussion

Every year, hundreds of people begin their lives anew because of the generosity of organ donors and their families. Registration is simple and anyone can register.

© Drop by any Motor Licence Office, ~ Autoplan agent, public health unit, Government Agent, or B.C. hospital.

© Or you can register with the BC. Registry for Organ Donors when you renew your driver's licence or obtain a B.C.1D.

card at a Motor Licence Office. Your new licence or B.C.L.D. will carry the words Organ Donor beside your 1.D. photo.

- You don’t have to wait until your licence expires. Register now at a Motor Licence Office and you will be given a replacement licence at no cost that identifies you as a registered organ donor. (However, the $25 fee still stands fot anormal, five-year renewal.)

é

: | “Because of organ donation, [received a

Pick up a “Gift for Life” pamphlet.

gift for life.” — Heart transplant recipient Tony Beeftink cel

It contains a postage-paid registration card you simply sign and return, as well as a donor consent card to sign and carry with you.

Hon, Peter A. Dueck Hon. Angus Ree Minister of Health Solicitor General

British Columbia Transplant Society

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