Belize not the only place hit by beetle

While there is little that Belize can do at this point to stop the Southern Pine Bark Beetle from destroying the once majestic Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, we can at least take some comfort in the fact that we are not alone in our misery. Word from Canada is that the province of British Columbia faces severe economic consequences from the infestation of its rich forests by an equally lethal pest, the Mountain Pine Beetle. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the beetle has already destroyed timber in the interior of the province worth four point two billion Canadian dollars. The provincial premier, Gordon Campbell, says that his government must develop a plan to deal with the problem because it directly threatens the welfare of thirty communities and twenty-five thousand families.