Some residents of Kamloops, B.C.'s Juniper Ridge area are concerned that trees defoliated by a needle-eating moth larva could prove to be a fire hazard.
Rows of trees above the Juniper Ridge area were visibly orange and defoliated when a CBC News reporter went to the area last week, with officials saying the larval form of the Douglas-fir tussock moth is to blame.
Though many of the trees are located on private land, the area is surrounded by forests and known for its luxury homes, as well as hiking and biking trails.
A local resident and an expert in wildfires are saying the dead trees could prove hazardous, especially after a gruelling wildfire season in the province this year.
"It seemed to happen quite rapidly this spring, that they went from being slightly discoloured to being very, very brown, which is concerning when you live in this, sort of, proximity to the forest," said Juniper Ridge resident Kaitlyn Dionne.
"Particularly with all the fires that have happened this summer, and understanding that we are in a super El Niño and being concerned about forest fire risk and climate change."
Dionne said she, and a number of residents who posted about the issue on social media, are concerned about flames quickly spreading through tinder-dry trees.
According to Dionne, a number of residents of the area had to be evacuated from their homes due to a nearby wildfire in 2021, which makes the situation particularly concerning.
- As wildfires destroy homes, should B.C. make FireSmart principles mandatory?
- B.C. communities worry about future of wildfire prevention, preparedness as FireSmart funding runs dry
Mike Flannigan, a professor at Thompson Rivers University who has been studying wildfires for four decades, said that any time there's dead material and trees, it's easy for fires to burn and carry.
"If they had needles, it'd be even a higher-risk situation, but having a lot of dead trees is not a good situation and they should be removed," he said.
With many of the trees on private land, Flannigan argues there could be rules and regulations to force landowners to take action to reduce fire risk.
Officials say they're seeing an increase in moth infestations so far this year, and they'll monitor the situation heading into winter and spring.
Lorraine MacLauchlan, a forest entomologist for the Forests Ministry and Juniper Ridge resident, said the larvae of the Douglas-fir tussock moth were an "eruptive defoliator" that spread quickly and kills trees with infestations that last between one and two years.
"I would say right now we've probably got anywhere from four hectares up to 20 hectares," she said of the land affected by the moth infestation this year.
MacLauchlan said that the ministry and the City of Kamloops collaborated on trapping to assess moth populations every year.
Kirsten Wourms, the natural resources crew leader for the City of Kamloops, said officials were seeing an increase in larval activity this year — though only a few areas, largely at higher elevations, were being impacted.
She said they have been setting traps to monitor the moths for 15 years, but the final counts won't be available until later in the fall.
In response to questions over whether the city could simply spray the trees with anti-larval solution to stop the infestation, Wourms said that isn't feasible now — but it could be an option next year if the numbers are particularly high.
"The spray doesn't work year-round. It only works when the larva are just coming out in the spring. And so that's something that we're working with the ministry on," she said.
WATCH | How to FireSmart your property:
Could your home survive a wildfire? How to FireSmart your property
July 31| Duration3:20
Josh Cowen, the fire and life safety educator for Kamloops Fire Rescue, said that residents should focus on what is in their control by aiming to prevent embers from entering their homes.
He said that following FireSmart principles would mean not having cedars or juniper trees within five metres of a home, and cleaning roof eaves of needles.
"Focusing on those sorts of things, rather than looking up at the trees that are dead ... is what we want to focus on," he said.
