A first nations group says B.C. forest fires could have been prevented if the federal government had removed wood killed by pine beetles, reports Richard J. Dalton Jr. in the Vancouver Sun. Hundreds of millions of dollars normally reserved for the pine beetle program were used instead to improve infrastructure and help those who lost jobs in forestry, and the government did not set a dollar amount for dealing with the pine beetle infestation. Trees killed by pine beetles burn more readily and quickly. The B.C. First Nations Forestry Council says had the government used the funding to clear dead wood, fire breaks would have been created that kept the fires from coming so close to communities, minimizing the overall damage.
– Emily Linroth
