Kelowna News

The Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition has released an action plan to help fight the mountain pine beetle infestation and is asking the provincial government for funding to implement their plans.

While the action plan lists dozens of recommendations to the provincial government to help mitigate the beetle's impact in the southern interior, they list six recommendations as their top priority, including:

• That the Province work with local communities and First Nations to protect watersheds that are in danger from the infestation due to deforestation
  
• That the Province help local governments and First Nations find ways to maximize their profits from the local timber supply
  
• That all levels of government work together to reduce the hazards of wildfires
  
• That the Province find new ways to share regional resource revenue with local governments and First Nations
  
• That the Province and the federal government dedicate funding for rural economic development
  
• That the Province provide resources and funds to communities at risk from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation.

The SIBAC says they are unsure how much the recommendations will cost to implement, nor how long it will take to see each recommendation through.

"At this point there really isn't a final (dollar) figure," says Dalyce Brandt, administrator for the report. "And the implementation could take a long time."

The SIBAC says the communities most at economic risk from the beetle infestation include Grand Forks, Greenwood, Canal Flats, Midway, Clearwater, Chase, Barriere, Lillooet, Lytton, Merritt, Princeton, Lumby and Radium Hot Springs.

Link: The Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition website