"The eradication of any native species of forest insect is impossible. They are as much a part of the forest as the trees themselves. They have been there as long as the trees have, and will continue to be so until the end of time"
----Hector Richmond, former Chief Entomologist for the B.C. Ministry of Forests
"In recent years, British Columbia has experienced an unprecedented infestation, with over 8 million hectares of lodgepole pine affected by 2005 (Ebata, T., personal communication, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, British Columbia). This current infestation is the worst of a number of infestations that have been documented in British Columbia (Alfaro et al. 2004; Wood and Unger 1996) and has been described as the worst insect infestation ever recorded in a North American forest (British Columbia Ministry of Forests 2003). "
----cited from Shore, T. L. et al. 2006. Effects of the mountain pine beetle on lodgepole pine stand structure and dynamics. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC, 95-116.
As those little "beasts" moving forward to far more east of Canada, what are they left behind?