This is a totally unacceptable practice by Parks Branch, a branch of the Ministry of Environment charged with pollution control. They could easily achieve their objective by falling the dead trees, chipping and dispersing the branches and leaving the dead trees on the ground to rot.
The claim that this practice will tackle the western pine beetle infestation is hogwash. The few trees felled along trails contribute only a minuscule amount of beetles to the environment compared to the untouched trees left in the rest of the park.
Dead trees lying on the ground and the chipped branches will not pose any fire hazard. The smoke from the burning, on the other hand, will create a discomfort and a potential health hazard to the neighbouring residents as well as contributing significant amounts of carbon dioxide to the environment. Perhaps Parks Branch should be charged a carbon tax on this ill advised venture.
The Eagle.
The claim that this practice will tackle the western pine beetle infestation is hogwash. The few trees felled along trails contribute only a minuscule amount of beetles to the environment compared to the untouched trees left in the rest of the park.
Dead trees lying on the ground and the chipped branches will not pose any fire hazard. The smoke from the burning, on the other hand, will create a discomfort and a potential health hazard to the neighbouring residents as well as contributing significant amounts of carbon dioxide to the environment. Perhaps Parks Branch should be charged a carbon tax on this ill advised venture.
The Eagle.
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1 comment:
I'm certain the major puirpose of this project is to remove dead trees along the trails which pose a hazzard to hikers and not necessarily to control the beetle population. As a user of these trail I welcome the project. Dragging a chipper into that location would be prohibitively expensive (if nor impossible) compared to the relatively minor impact of burning. The burning is to be done on days when venting is appropriate so the smoke impact should be localized and of short duration. Burning wood does not contribute to global warming. Burning wood is carbon-neutral.
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