Recent queries by both the government and multiple BC Universities have led to concern over the link between wildfires and rising beetle populations near Williams Lake.
While the Douglas Fir Bark Beetle has been a problem in the past, the scorched forests from last year’s wildfires have turned BC forests in to a breeding ground for the pest.
Researchers believe that the condition of forests just south of Williams Lake combined with weather poses epidemic level threats.
The studies will continue in hopes of finding a way to prevent the beetles from infesting nearby healthy forests.
