SUNDRE – The presence of a potentially destructive forest pest is not yet a cause for concern, but the situation is being closely monitored by both the provincial government and the industry.
Not to be confused with the spruce budworm, the spruce beetle is a cousin of the notorious and ill-reputed mountain pine beetle that is present in the forest management agreement area of Sundre Forest Products, a division of West Fraser.
“We do have some spruce beetle here but in really small amounts and so nothing to be concerned about yet,” said Tom Daniels, a woodlands manager who has been with the company for many years.
Daniels had been following up in response to previous requests for information regarding the spruce budworm, which so far has not manifested in their area.
“We have people trained to identify stressed and visibly attacked trees and so far, we are not seeing evidence of spruce budworm here,” he said, adding there were no “other insect or disease issues that are of great concern.”
Offering additional insight into the spruce beetle and responding to questions about the pest’s prevalence in the province, bug expert and Forest Health Specialist with Forestry and Parks Caroline Whitehouse said the insect is not invasive but rather native to Alberta and typically occurs at low densities across the spruce range.
“It usually targets trees that are severely stressed or weakened, and in natural forest settings this can actually support forest health by aiding in natural succession,” Whitehouse wrote by email.
“However, spruce beetles can pose a greater problem in shelterbelts, where trees are often more stressed and fewer in number – making the impact of an infestation more significant.”
Generally speaking, the beetle has a two-year life cycle that limits their reproductive rate thereby helping to keep populations low. But if favourable conditions manifest – such as warm weather and an abundance of host material – they can shift to a one-year life cycle, which leads to rapid population growth, she said.
“We actively map disturbances like blowdown events as well as tree mortality caused by spruce beetle. So far, activity has remained very low,” she said.
“For example, only 86 hectares (212.5 acres) were mapped in the Whitecourt Forest Area in 2024. Our main concern is severe windstorms, which can bring down large numbers of spruce trees. These downed, stressed trees create ideal conditions for spruce beetle infestation.”
When Forestry and Parks detects significant blowdown, industry partners are alerted so they can salvage the affected spruce before beetles begin their life cycle the following spring, she said.
“Although current beetle activity is minimal, we continue to monitor closely,” she said
“The spruce beetle did reach epidemic levels in British Columbia over the past decade, and there was also a major outbreak in northern Alberta near Manning in the 1990s.”
Although pests like beetles and the budworm are not yet causing concerns, there has been some aspen dieback occurring locally, Daniels said.
However, he added that has hit areas more towards Drayton Valley and farther north where there are larger areas of continuous aspen growing.
According to information posted online by the provincial government, “the exact mechanism causing aspen dieback is not completely understood.”
However, several factors are known to incite dieback or pre-dispose trees to dieback, which is described as “an often rapid, above ground death of aspen clonal trees that typically leads to stand break-up.”
The phenomenon has been observed in aspen throughout North America and more recently has drawn more attention with increasing occurrences in western Canada as well as north-eastern Ontario.
“With anticipated climate change, aspen dieback is likely to increase,” reads part of the documentation.
“Dieback is also occurring at a faster rate, killing stands in years rather than in decades.”
