156,000 hectares of forest in the Prince George-Omineca region has been affected by the recent spruce beetle epidemic.
The B.C. government named Heather Wiebe the spruce beetle manager on Friday.
The recent weather patterns the region has experienced hasn’t helped matters either according to Wiebe.
“When you are in an epidemic situation like we are now with the warm winters and dry summers it allows the beetle to mature quicker so we can have a 1 and 2-year cycle which is part of the reason there is an outbreak currently.”
An additional $1,000,000 in funding was also announced.
This is on top of the $850,000 the province spent last year on spruce beetle detection activities.
The eastern valleys of Mackenzie and the northern portions of Prince George had their timber supply areas affected.