Assessing Community Resilience to Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks in Alberta

The recent outbreak of mountain pine beetle in British Columbia resulted in significant negative effects in many communities, harming both their social and economic fabrics. As the infestation expands eastward, forest dependant communities in Alberta will be affected as well, to a degree that will depend on their level of resilience. This research responds to these concerns.

The goals of this research is to understand the factors that contribute to community resilience to natural disturbances and environmental change and to assist communities to enhance their awareness of opportunities to adjust. This understanding is critical for communities that are largely forest dependent. The recent mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak in Western Canada is one of many disturbances affecting timber quality and supply, with potentially devastating social
and economic impacts for some communities. In Alberta, the degree of vulnerability of communities to the MPB outbreak will depend on their degree of reliance on the forest sector and on their ability to adapt and transform in response to a changing ecological landscape.

This project was continued in 2022 with, “Community Resilience to Mountain Pine Beetle and Other Forms of Disturbance and Change“.

Objectives

1. To understand the factors that contribute to community resiliency to natural disturbances
2. To identify factors that contribute to community resilience in communities already affected by MPB
3. To provide recommendations to communities to increase their resilience