Managing the economic impacts of mountain pine beetle outbreaks in Alberta

The process of global warming has reduced the regularity of these extreme cold climatic events, resulting in an explosion in the population of the MPB within the interior of British Columbia. [...] A stand of lodgepole pine killed by Mountain Pine Beetle3 The maturing beetle is protected from the cold, winter climate by the insulating nature of the bark of the tree and the snow pack surrounding the tree stem. [...] In 1996, the median age of the population of Hinton was 33.39, with the largest portion of the population in the 25-44 year old age group. [...] Refinements in the SELES MPB Model and the incorporation of the influence of higher external beetle pressure currently underway will aid in reducing the margin of error in the future. [...] Booms in one sector are able to influence the wage rates of other sectors, allowing the various components of the economy to interact and respond to ebbs and flows in the other segments of the economy.