164 



Canadian Forestry Journal, April, 1919 



RED-BELT INJURY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 



By Ceo. P. Melrose, B.Sc.F., District Forester, 

 Vernon Forest District. 



Early in the spring of 1916 reports were 

 received at the Vernon District office that large 

 areas of soft (Western Yellow) Pine and 

 Douglas fir had been killed during the winter. 

 The worst reports came from the Nicola and 

 Merritt country, where some trouble had been 

 experienced with bark-beetles, and it was feared 

 that these new outbreaks were fresh manifesta- 

 tions of the beetles. 



Upon examination of the areas in question it 

 was found that they occurred in very definite 

 horizontal streaks along the sides of the moun- 

 tains. Usually the lower limits were about 1 ,000 

 feet above the main valley and the upper limits 

 300 to 500 feet higher. The worst darr>age was 

 done on south-westerly exposures. 



Trees on the more exposed parts of the moun- 

 tains were affected more than those in more 

 sheltered positions. The two species present. 

 Soft Pine and Douglas fir shared equally in the 

 damage. 



Close examination of the trees showed the 

 needles to be reddened and apparently dead for 

 most of their length. The bases of the needles 

 were usually still green except on the more ex- 

 posed positions where the worst cases seemed 

 entirely killed. No damage, apparently, was 

 done the terminal buds. No signs of bark 

 beetles or other insects could be found, save an 

 odd tree here arid there, as is common in all such 

 stands, and a few isolated examples of a white 

 fungus growth or scale insect. Neither of these 

 could have caused the extensive damage shown. 



One peculiar effect of this injury was the 

 distinct level at which it occurred. Apparently 

 the upper and lower edges followed an exact 

 level as though the contours were actually drawn 

 on the hill-side. As the bottom of the strip was 

 reached the injury got further into the tops of 

 the trees leaving the needles on the lower limbs 

 unharmed. The trees just reaching the edge of 

 the belt had the tips of the crowns just touched 

 with red. In the same way the lower limbs of 

 the trees on the upper edge of thte belt were 

 injured, the unharmed tops becoming longer and 

 longer the further up the hill the trees grew. 



After finding no insect or fungous damage to 

 any extent to warrant the damage shown the 

 supposition was that weather conditions were 



responsible. The winter had been extremely 

 long and cold for that region and spring came 

 late. 



The supposition was that a sudden change in 

 temperature had occurred at the level in- 

 dicated by the damage, probably accompanied 

 by or caused by a "Chinook" wind. The needles 

 suddenly commenced excessive transpiration, 

 and the water loss thus occasioned could not be 

 replenished from the still frozen trunks, twigs, 

 and shoots, with the result that the needles 

 turned brown and died. 



Where the injury was particularly severe, 

 complete defoliation occurred and the trees died, 

 but this only happened in a few of the more 

 exposed situations. As a rule the affected trees 

 recovered, and are now in good vigorous con- 

 dition. 



A form of injury that this might lead up to 

 would be that of bark-beetles. These insects 

 prefer weakened or dying trees, and conditions 

 after the red-belt injury takes place would seem 

 to be ideal for an insect outbreak. Careful 

 watch has been kept on the areas in question 

 but, so far, no insect outbreaks have occurred. 



The name of the injury is derived from its 

 occurrence in belts and it has been observed m 

 several localities throughout Southern British 

 Columbia and the western United States. The 

 consensus of opinion wherever it has been 

 studied seems to be that it is not of very great 

 economic importance. The actual damage done 

 is not sufficient to warrant remedial measures if 

 such were possible. 



QUEBEC FOREST FIRES. 



Last year, according to the report of C. J. 

 Hall, the superintendent of the Quebec Forest 

 Protection Service, there were 430 forest fires 

 in that province which devastated 23 square 

 miles of forests. The total damage was only 

 $5,557. The splendid results achieved are due 

 largely to the efficiency of the work of the 

 private fire protective associations. 



