Red Trees? Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation in Jasper National Park
As we drove from Banff to Jasper National Park during our trip to the Canadian Rockies in the summer of 2019, I wondered why so many of the trees and entire mountains had turned red. We saw the same sight on our Canadian Rockies rafting tour in Jasper National Park. Luckily, the Jasper Raft Tour guide was very knowledgeable and he shared the whole story. Later we heard the same story from other guides.
About 98% of the pine trees in Jasper National Park was infested by Mountain Pine Beetles as of 2019!
Generally, mountain pine beetles lay their eggs under the bark and come winter they die out because of the low temperatures. But in recent years, the region has seen very warm winters (up to 10C degrees in February). As a result, the beetles have thrived even through winter. Interesting, the beetles themselves don’t kill the trees, but they release a fungus that clogs the trees and destroys the connective tissues of the trees. The trees die within weeks of the attack.
To kill off the mountain pine beetles, Jasper needs to get at least 10-14 days of very cold winter, which didn’t happen for several years. Finally, in 2018-19, winter was very cold, and as a result, 98% of the beetles were killed. While that didn’t get the trees back, at least it stopped the spread, for now.
There is a larger issue at stake. The trees that have perished, pose a huge fire hazard to Jasper National Park and the township. The dry trees form a massive amount of fuel for the next forest fire. The government of Alberta is surely thinking of ways to prevent catastrophic forest fires. More about it here and here.
Although 98% of pines in Jasper National Park are impacted by the mountain pine beetle and have turned red, Banff National Park has not been affected due to the high altitude and hence cooler weather. I did not see these red pines in the Colorado Rockies either.
Some say another cause of widespread impact in Jasper has been due to the monoculture where the wood industry used to grow pines over huge areas. Others think it’s over suppression of forest fires or the many dry drought-like summers followed by warm winters in Jasper.
I had a lot of questions and here are the answers I found. Do share if you learn more about mountain pine beetle infestation in Jasper National Park.
Mountain pine beetles have been around for at least 60,000 years and they are native species on the northwestern mountains. But they naturally die every winter.
No. Mountain pine beetles only impact the pine trees. Other alpine trees are unaffected.
Mountain pine beetles are naturally controlled by two means
– Extreme cold weather for at least 2 consecutive weeks or
– Extreme heat like a forest fire.
Reasons are always complicated but the primary reasons I found for the infestation of pine forest in Jasper are
– Warm winters without an adequate number of extremely cold days.
– Monoculture preferred by the wood industry.
– Highly dense forests because of forest fire suppression, even when needed for healthy forests.
– Weekend pine trees from drought-like conditions for a few years.
There is a high risk for huge forest fires filled with fuel. The government and local agencies are working to prevent any catastrophes by
– Preparing firefighters and buying equipment.
– Setting up controlled fires.
– Better forest management practices etc.
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About mountain pine beetles in Jasper
The Canadian Rockies
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- Itineraries of the Canadian Rockies
- Accommodations in Jasper and Banff
- Rafting in Jasper National Park
- Banff’s wildlife crossing
- Red forests in Jasper National Park
- Calgary to Banff to Jasper Drive
- Jasper to Banff Drive
- Things to do in Banff and Canmore
- Things to do in Lake Louise and Moraine Lake
- Things to do in Jasper
- Things to do on Icefields Parkway
- Things to do in Yoho National Park
The Rockies in the United States
- Colorado 6-Day Itinerary
- Rocky Mountain National Park with hikes, vista points, and itineraries.
- National Park travels during Covid Pandemic
- Pikes Peak Drive or Hike
- Outdoor rock climbing in Colorado Springs
- Glacier National Park Gallery
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