Forest health considerations for tree species selection

The  impact of forest health factors needs to be considered when selecting tree species at the stand and landscape levels.

Some problems due to forest health could have been prevented if the prescribing foresters had known what we know now about seed selection. For example:

• Sitka spruce stock from Haida Gwaii deployed in pure stands in the Kitimat Valley were severely damaged by spruce leader weevil, Pissodes strobi
• Sitka spruce were planted in high hazard areas on the West Coast of Vancouver Island
• Planting lodgepole pine were planted in known high hazard areas at too low a density given expected mortality from hard pine stem rusts

More information

• Field Guide to Forest Damage in B.C. (PDF, 6.5MB)
• FOREX Stand Establishment Decision Aids (SEDAs)
• SEDA Hazard Ratings (XLXS, 59KB)
• Establishment to Free-growing guidebooks
• Regional and district forest health strategies

Maps

• SEDA forest health regional maps
• Forest health RESULTS incidence maps