It seems a grassroots movement in the B.C. Interior has stopped a Ministry of Forests campaign that would have sprayed pesticides in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area.
Protesters have Cherryville had been very vocal about the use of pesticides to combat western hemlock looper in the Shuswap, citing potential ecological and health risks.
Their opposition to the program was heard by Lorraine MacLauchlan, a forest entomologist for the Thompson Okanagan Region.
MacLauchlan recently sent a letter to the grassroots group, called Bee SAFE, saying the spray campaign has been cancelled in the area.
“After consideration of your request to cancel the spray and the fact that it is a very small area, I have decided to cancel the proposed 2012 treatments in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area,” MacLauchland wrote.
Read the full letter and the response by Bee SAFE below:
Hello Michelle and colleagues.
I have considered your comments and concerns at length and respect the various views that people have on the use of biological insecticides. I had a very good discussion with Michelle Saurette this morning and mentioned to her that the primary goal of the western hemlock looper spray program was to protect the mature hemlock forests as habitat for the local Caribou herds. The treatment of western hemlock looper by the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is only done to protect wildlife habitat and is not conducted as a measure to protect more economic-focused timber harvesting values.
The product we had planned to use, Foray 48B, is registered for use against this insect, has organic designation (OMRI) and is safe for humans and other animals. B.t.k. only kills Lepidoptera that are in the early larval stage (small). Moths and butterflies that are in the egg, pupa or adult stage will not be adversely affected. In addition, the size of the proposed blocks around Sugar Lake-Greenbush Lake are relatively small compared to the total size of the watershed so those non-target Lepidoptera that are affected will be minimal and will be able to re-invade the treated area within a few years. Susceptibility to B.t.k. is also variable by species. Studies have shown that re-population of niches vacated by the spray are quickly re-filled by populations outside of the spray area if those reservoir populations are healthy. Within two to three years, populations rebound to pre-treatment levels. Furthermore, a four year study of the effects on insectivorous birds associated with the 1999 Victoria gypsy moth spray showed no impacts on bird populations.
The western hemlock looper has an “eruptive” outbreak cycle and has outbreaks about every 10 years. The outbreaks last from 2-4 years with the first two years of the outbreak cycle being the most severe. As an entomologist I monitor various insect populations using pheromone baited traps and population sampling of life stages. The western hemlock looper trap catches in the Greenbush Lake area have increased exponentially in the past couple of years indicating an outbreak is imminent. Egg sampling conducted last fall also show a growing looper population. The objective of this years treatment was to catch the looper population in its building stage (year 1) prior to severe damage and/or tree mortality occurring. The defoliation for 2012 was projected to be in the low to moderate range but we were hoping to prevent a full outbreak from occurring by treating this year. Should the defoliation become severe we may reconsider this treatment again at some time in future years.
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Therefore, after consideration of your request to cancel the spray and the fact that t is a very small area, I have decided to cancel the proposed 2012 treatments in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area. If you have further comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. I have attached some links below for your information. Thank you.
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/ForestHealth/Western_Hemlock_Looper_Spray_Program_2012.htm
Lorraine Maclauchlan
Forest Entomologist, Thompson Okanagan Region
441 Columbia Street
Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2T3
The response from Bee SAFE:
Ms. Maclauchlan,
Thank you for listening to the concerns of citizens and cancelling the spray program in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area. We sincerely appreciate your listening and understanding.
We also appreciate that MoF uses B.t.k. because it has an organic designation and claims to only kill Lepidoptera in their early larval stage, but knowing that all organisms share commonality in the biochemical processes of our cells, we fear that substances that kill one organism have negative effects on others. Although animals may not die from the result, over time they may develop cancers and suffer other negative consequences. Experience teaches us that adopting the precautionary principle is best for as I’m sure you know, when citizens started worrying about the impact of minute quantities of PPP (personal care products, pharmaceuticals and pesticides) in water, MoE also thought there was nothing to worry about. However, results of impacts to aquatic life now show there is much to worry about indeed. We also believe that McGill University’s Journal of Pesticide Reform has a point when it states that “Large-scale applications of B.t. can have far reaching ecological impacts. B.t. can reduce dramatically the number and variety of moth and butterfly species, which in turn impacts birds and mammals that feed on caterpillars. In addition, a number of beneficial insects are adversely impacted by B.t.”
However we understand the concerns MoF has regarding possible infestations and agree that not spraying alone may not be sufficient to restoring the health of the forest ecosystem depending on its state at this time. Since diversity and ecosystem health are the first lines of defense against infestations, we would like to see all MoF’s management programs shift from particular defensive actions such as spraying, towards integrated health restoration actions such as restoring diversity in the forest ecosystem.
Ecosystem Restoration Programs bring enormous ecological, social, health and economical benefits. Healthy forests play a crucial role in replenishing oxygen, absorbing carcinogenic pollutants in the air and purifying lakes and rivers. Ecosystem Restoration Programs that operate throughout the world, including the one in the Rocky Mountain Forest District, state that they benefit plants, animals and people by:
• reducing forest fragmentation, therefore increasing habitat for local species
• protecting species at risk
• replacing invasive plants with native vegetation
• reducing wildfire management costs
• encouraging utilization of forest restoration by-products
• providing local jobs in a variety of sectors
• encouraging ecological, economical, and social sustainability.
While Bee SAFE cannot help in the technical design of such programs, we are willing and able to help in its implementation. Our members consider themselves stewards of our watershed, and would be happy to partner with other organizations such as the Cherryville Water Stewards, the Cherry ridge management committee, as well as the Ministry to begin an Ecosystem Restoration Program in the Upper Shuswap. Please let us know whether this is of interest to the Ministry.
Huguette Allen, Jane Emlyn, Carla Vierke
Bee SAFE.
http://www.beesafemonashees.org
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